



Class __&MH r TL 



CopyrightN? 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



MODERN 
RIFLE SHOOTING 

FROM THE 

AMERICAN STANDPOINT. 



BY 



J 



W. G. HUDSON, M. D. 



PUBLISHED BY 

LAFLIN & RAND POWDER COMPANY, 
NEW YORK. CHICAGO. 

DENVER. SAN FRANCISCO. 



MCMEL 



' > ■ ■ ' - ■' ' \ 



THE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

Two Copies Received 

MAY 27 1903 

Copyright Entry 

CUSS-^ XXc. No. 

COPY B. 



&VH11 



Copyrighted 1903 by 

Laflin & Rand Powder Company 

New York, N. Y. 



PREFACE. 



It is not without some misgiving that I venture 
on this, my first attempt to write a book on 
rifle shooting. Indeed, the idea would probably 
never have occurred to me had I not been 
asked by many brother riflemen to put into 
writing the numerous small matters I have at various 
times investigated, both for their interest and my 
own. Undoubtedly, much will be found in these pages 
that is ancient history to more experienced shooters, 
but if 1 have succeeded in making clear the first prin- 
ciples of rifle shooting to the beginner, I shall be well 
satisfied. Perhaps the experienced rifleman may find 
a few helpful hints, too, in some of the original de- 
vices described, and in. the chapter on ''the Rifleman 
Himself." 

I have also to acknowledge the generous help re- 
ceived in the way of suggestions from brother rifle- 
men, and from reading various recent English works 
on the subject of rifle shooting — notably those of Tip- 
pins and Freemantle. If the reflection of my study of 
these works shows itself in some of the thoughts ex- 
pressed in the following pages, I can only say that I 
am not ashamed to freely acknowledge the source from 
which a great deal of useful information has been de- 
rived. Our English cousins have had at least five 
years more experience than we in the matter of high 
power rifles and ammunition, and a study of their 
methods cannot fail to benefit us. 



It is almost certain that some of the tables and other 
information which I have gathered will have to be re- 
vised in future. We have had too little experience 
with our National arm up to the present time to for- 
mulate any hard and fast rules, but if this work fur- 
nishes the first stepping stones to' a more thorough 
acquaintance with the weapon that, above all others, 
should be most familiar to the American citizen-sol- 
dier, the object of the author will have been accom- 
plished. 

W. G. HUDSON, M. D. 

January joth, jpoj. 



CHAPTER I. 
INTRODUCTORY. 



One of the most unfortunate ideas that has ever 
prevailed is that so often heard expressed in the 
words, "The Americans are a nation of riflemen." 
Indeed, the saying is a relic of the day when it was 
literally true — the early days of our history, when to 
be a good rifle shot was necessary as an important 
aid in replenishing food supply, and as a means of 
pi eventing premature baldness through the efforts of 
the then ubiquitous Indian. But times have changed, 
and while the possibilities of the rifle have been devel- 
oped to a degree never dreamed of in those days, 
familiarity and skill with the weapon as a national ac- 
complishment have dwindled, until now the saying 
itself sounds more like a sarcasm than an aphorism. 
True, there are groups of men here and there even 
more skillful than our ancestors ; but as skill with the 
rifle is now not generally recognized as an immediate 
necessity, there is little incentive to acquire and main- 
tain it except as a sport and in connection with mili- 
tary duties. 

But, while the immediate necessity of the Ameri- 
can citizen learning to handle the rifle well is not so 
apparent as it was ioo or 200 years ago, the necessity 
is nevertheless real. The smallness of our resrular 



Modern Rifle Shooting 



army, and even of the combined regular army and 
state militia forces, should serve to warn every Amer- 
ican of the possibility of his being obliged some da} r 
to fight for home and country. The bustle and con- 
fusion incident to breaking out of war afford no time 
for training in rifle shooting. Other military duties 
can be learned in a few weeks or months, but the 
mastery of the many problems necessary to shoot well 
with the modern rifle requires that deliberate, careful 
and thoughtful study which is impossible when the 
whole country is thrilling with the excitement of early 
war. Truly, the advice "In time of peace prepare for 
war," applies to nothing more forcibly than to this 
particular kind of preparation. 

Battles are not won nowadays by the brawny 
strength of the soldier, nor by the dramatic bravado, 
rush, and uproar of by-gone days. Take two modern 
types of soldier in action, for instance : one, that big, 
bronzed, muscular young fellow out on the right of 
the skirmish line. He is not afraid of anything, and 
be wants others to know it. He has longed for the 
excitement of battle, and he now goes at it with great 
zeal. He was recruited from the Y — football team, 
and he feels that if he could only get hold of a few 
of the enemy in close encounter he would dearly enjoy 
the scrimmage. But the enemy is half a mile away, 
mere brown and white specks scattered here and there 
over yonder field, and so, somewhat to his disgust, he 
is forced to fight as do his comrades, — with his rifle. 
He therefore spends his surplus energy, together with 
much good ammunition, in rapid loading and firing, 
nor can he know that his bullets are harmlessly whis- 
tling 40 feet over the heads of his enemies. The moral 
effect of such a man may be of some use in certain 



From The American Standpoint. 



places, and he would undoubtedly be valuable in a 
close fight — 'but they are rare nowadays, and are likely 
to become more so. 

Now look at that slight, mild mannered man over 
on the left. He has sought out a fairly sheltered posi- 
tion behind a boulder, and there is none of the bluster 
and uproar about him — just an air of quiet confidence. 
He may perhaps be recognized as one of the annual 
competitors at Sea Girt. He never was very promi- 
nent as a military man, caring little for rank or mili- 
tary distinction. But he became skillful with the rifle 
ficm long practice, because he liked rifle shooting as 
a sport, and his name generally appeared among the 
winners in important matches. Now, as we watch 
him, he is not firing very rapidly, but is carefully ob- 
servant of every detail— estimating the wind, the 
light, and the distance as well as he is able, and treat- 
ing his rifle and ammunition with as much care as 
though in a match. He realizes that this is indeed a 
match, for life, honor and country ! But while he does 
not shoot as rapidly as some of his comrades, nearly 
every time he does shoot, one of the little brown and 
white specks away over yonder flattens out upon the 
ground and stops advancing; and the enemy wonders 
why it is that his right suffers so much more than his 
left. Which of these two types of the modern sol- 
dier do you think will do the more effective work in 
saving the day? 

The word picture is not overdrawn. The first is by 
far the most common type of soldier. Statistics go 
to show that for every man hit in battle from 3,000 
to 5,000 shots are fired. And the proportion of hits 
is less since the advent of the modern breech loader 
than it was with the old muzzle loading rifle. 



io Modern Rifle Shooting 

What we want, therefore, is to regain as a nation 
our old time supremacy with the rifle, so> that we can 
make a fair percentage of hits, instead of wasting 
5,000 to 5,000 rounds of ammunition for every hit we 
make. The experience of the Boer war has shown 
England that even raw and otherwise untrained men, 
but men who had previously acquired a certain de- 
gree of skill with the rifle, are often able to cope suc- 
cessfully with the trained troops of a great nation, and 
England is profiting by the lesson. It is hoped, also, 
that the Boer war will serve to open the eyes of those 
military tacticians in our own country who are in- 
clined to belittle the value of accurate shooting; for 
surely it is the number of hits which a body of men is 
able to make, other things being equal, rather than 
its numerical strength that represents its value as a 
fighting body. 

But, fortunately, there is an element of pleasure in 
shooting with the rifle in time of peace. Rifle shoot- 
ing as a sport, is, indeed, so interesting when one has 
once gained a little insight into it, that many civilians 
practice it as their sole recreation. Indeed, a con- 
firmed rifleman seldom cares for any other form of 
sport than his favorite one. It is this element of sport 
which must be relied upon to keep alive the interest 
in what is in reality a national duty of great import- 
ance, for, like exercise, it would soon become irksome 
if practiced merely as a duty. 

But the chief impediment in the way of modern rifle 
shooting as a sport is the expense attached to it, more 
particularly in the way of ammunition and securing 
conveniently located and safe ranges. Since the ad- 
vent of the modern high power rifle, with its expen- 
sive jacketed bullet and great range and penetration. 



From The American Standpoint. 



both of these sources of expense have greatly in- 
creased. The state authorities contribute some help, 
but it is particularly desirable to develop and encour- 
age a taste for rifle shooting in those citizens who are 
not members of state militia organizations, for many 
of them would be called upon to fight in case of a ser- 
ious war. 

What we really need at present, more than any- 
thing else, is some wealthy benefactor who will realize 
the importance of this matter, and take an interest in 
fostering the sport. What a tremendous impetus 
could be given to it if half the amount of money now 
expended on racing yachts, fast automobiles and 
thoroughbred horses were expended in equipping a 
well appointed rifle range within easy reach of every 
large centre of population ! And what popularity 
would be imbued into the game if some of our promi- 
nent people could be induced to spend on the rifle 
range a part of the time they now devote to whacking 
a ball around a golf field ! 

The state, too, could do a great deal in the way of 
encouraging practice with the rifle among its citizens 
outside the National Guard by throwing its ranges 
Cboth out door ranges and the in-door armory ranges) 
open to them at suitable times and under proper in- 
structors ; and it is extremely problable that this course 
would prove an effective means of drawing desirable 
recruits into the Guard, for there is an attraction in 
the fraternal feeling developed in a military organiza- 
tion that would draw in many of those who came 
within its sphere. 

The object in writing this book is to give the be- 
ginner such elementary assistance as will bring him 
to a point where his interest will be quickened ; and 



12 Modern Rifle Shooting 

once the enthusiasm of the sport takes hold of him, 
and he finds how surely improvement follows careful 
and intelligent effort and close attention to details, he 
will need no further incentive to blossom out into one 
of the regular fraternity of riflemen. And every ad- 
dition to the ranks of the fraternity means an inciease 
in the defensive strength of our country, for expert 
riflemen are the bulwark of the nation! 



From The American Standpoint. ij 



CHAPTER II. 
RIFLES, BULLETS, ETC. 

Target shooting as a sport has been more or less 
sharply divided into Match Rifle shooting and Mili- 
tary rifle shooting. The chief points in which the 
match rifle differs from the military are, its lighter 
trigger pull, finer sights, and better finish; and, in ad- 
dition, various departures from military styles are al- 
lowed in the way of special attachments, buttplates, 
heavier weight of barrel, etc. The match rifle also is 
developed with accuracy as its chief aim, and accuracy 
at the particular distance it is to be used ; while the 
military rifle has to be adapted to all ranges, and be 
strongly built and serviceable under adverse condi- 
tions, even if at the expense of some accuracy. 

In view of these considerations, it is scarcely to be 
wondered at that the target rifle developed with the 
sole object of shooting from the off-hand position at 
200 yards, as in vogue by the German-American 
(Schuetzen) clubs, should differ so much from the 
long range match — and military rifle. The Schuetzen 
rifle has changed but little in many years, and in its 
present form is probably as near perfection for its 
purpose as it is possible to get. Most of the modern 
Schuetzen rifles still use black powder, and in the 
finest American makes the bullet is pushed down from 
the muzzle as in the old muzzle loading rifles. They 
are extremely accurate, and the shooting is generally 
done on sheltered ranges ; so that this kind of shoot- 
ing brings the game down to merely one of skillful 
holding-. 



14 Modern Rifle Shooting 

On the other hand, the long range match rifle has 
of late years approached more and more closely to 
the military, so much so that most of the match rifles 
now in use in England are merely military rifles fitted 
with fine target sights. Skill in shooting at the long 
ranges, whether with military or match rifles, involves 
not only good holding, but also' a knowledge of the 
effects of disturbing factors such as changes of light, 
wind, barometric pressure, temperature, etc. 

It must not be supposed, however, that Schuetzen 
rifle shooting is of no value to riflemen who aspire to 
honors with the military or long range rifle. It has the 
advantage of using very cheap ammunition, it is gen- 
erally done on ranges provided with facilities that 
insure comfort to the shooter during even the cold- 
est and most disagreeable weather, and it is the best 
possible training for fine holding. Therefore it is far 
better for the rifleman who would keep in practice to 
shoot 50 or 100 shots at 200 yards, say once a week 
or two weeks during the winter with a Schuetzen rifle, 
than to abandon the game altogether during cold 
weather. There are a large number of civilian rifle- 
men who confine themselves almost entirely to this 
kind of shooting, and who are nevertheless very well 
posted and skillful riflemen, able to take up other 
branches of rifle shooting at short notice ; and their 
skill in holding, and intimate knowledge of many of 
the technicalities of the rifle learned by long and care- 
ful practice with their own weapons certainly put 
them far in the lead of the novice, no matter what 
other branch of rifle shooting they adopt. 

But it is in long range shooting, undoubtedly, that 
the rifleman finds the highest development of the sport. 
And in late years, since the advent of the modern 



From The American Standpoint. 15 

smokeless powder rifle of high power and small cali- 
bre, it is gratifying to note, in our American as well 
as in the British weapons, that the military and match 
rifle have approached very near to each other. In the 
old black powder days, the match rifle with its paper 
patched bullet, heavy charge of powder, and necessity 
of cleaning after each shot was a far different weapon 
than the military rifle. In those days, to attempt to 
shoot 1000 yards with a military rifle would have been 
considered the height of folly. But now, there is lit- 
tle difference in the scores made with match and mili- 
tary rifles at these long ranges. 

To deal understandingly with the differences that 
have taken place in rifles since the adoption of the high 
power principle, it will be necessary to look a little 
into the principles governing all rifles. A rifle may be 
regarded as an implement embodying all the resources 
of science and art in the effort to throw a projectile 
far, swiftly and accurately. That projectile is acted 
upon by the natural forces precisely as is a stone when 
thrown from the hand, the differences, due to the 
higher velocity of the bullet, being in degree and not 
in kind. The mystery that in the minds of the unini- 
tiated is supposed to attend the flight of a bullet is 
chiefly due to the fact that the bullet cannot under 
ordinary circumstances be observed in its flight and 
its motion watched, like the stone. 

The first thing that may be taken as true of all pro- 
jectiles, no matter how thrown, is that they fall toward 
the earth as soon as the support is removed from them, 
just the same as though they were not projectiles. But 
even while they are falling, the energy applied is driv- 
ing them ahead. From this it will be clear that no 
weapon, however powerful, can drive a bullet so fast 



1 6 Modem Rifle Shooting 

that it will go in a straight line — it immediately be- 
gins to fall, as soon as it leaves the barrel, unless the 
latter has been directed upward to some extent: in 
which case, besides its forward motion, it will rise un- 
til the upward force also imparted to it has been ex- 
pended, and then begin to fall according to the well- 
known law of falling bodies — slowly at first, but faster 
the further it falls. The flight of a bullet, therefore, 
is always in a curved line. 

It does not seem as though air would offer much re- 
sistance to the passage of a body through it, but any- 
one who has ridden a bicycle knows that it does. More- 
over, the resistance of the air increases much more 
than proportionately with the speed of the moving 
body, for if the speed be doubled, the resistance will 
be more than quadrupled. The air, therefore, becomes 
a much more potent factor in retarding the progress of 
a bullet than of the stone thrown from the hand, even 
though, weight for weight, the bullet presents less sec- 
tional area. The forward motion of the projectile, 
therefore, will become slower the further it travels, 
while its falling speed is continually increasing owing 
to the laws of gravity; and for this reason the further 
it goes, the more curved will be its flight, until at last 
it drops to the ground. 

It is evident that the greater weight a bullet has in 
proportion to its sectional area, the less will be the de- 
gree of the resistance opposed to it by the air, other 
things being equal. An athlete could not throw a 
cork as far as a boy could a piece of lead of the same 
size and shape. Therefore the heaviest available ma- 
terial — lead — is used in the manufacture of the rifle 
bullets. For the same reason, the modern long bullet 



From The American Standpoint. ij 

maintains its velocity much better than the old round 
bullet used in the musket and early muzzle loading 
rifle. 

But when a bullet is made longer than its diameter, 
some means must be taken to insure its flying in the 
direction of its long axis — point on. This is the ob- 
ject of the spiral grooves that are cut on the inside 
of a rifle barrel, for it is found that if the bullet be 
caused to rotate with sufficient rapidity on its long axis, 
it will not turn sideways during its flight. The de- 
gree of this twist in the rifling is called its "pitch." 
The longer the bullet in proportion to its diameter, 
the quicker the pitch of the rifling must be ; if the bul- 
let is too long for a given pitch of rifling to handle, 
this will be shown by the bullet going through the 
target in a sideways or tipping position — in the par- 
lance of the rifleman, it "keyholes." It is necessary 
for the bullet to be kept point on from considerations 
of accuracy, as well as to maintain its velocity. 

When we increase the proportionate length of our 
bullets and use a quicker twist of rifling, it becomes 
necessary to harden the bullet by the addition of tin or 
antimony, so that it will hold on to the rifling and not 
be blown straight through the barrel without follow- 
ing the grooves— stripping, riflemen call it. But when 
we reach a certain point in lengthening the bullet and 
increasing the pitch of the rifling, no alloy of lead is 
sufficient to give good results. Therefore, in the mod- 
ern high power rifle, the bullet is made up of a core 
of lead, with a jacket of very tough metal, generally 
an alloy of copper and nickel; and the tough jacket 
holds on to the rifling so well that we are enabled to 
fire charges of highly explosive compounds behind the 
bullet, giving nearly double the velocity that it was 



1 8 Modem Rifle Shooting 

possible to obtain with the old black powder rifle. The 
modern high power rifle is, therefore, one which fires 
a jacketed bullet very long in proportion to its diameter, 
by means of a charge of smokeless powder several 
times as strong as black powder, with nearly double 
the velocity obtained with lead bullets and black pow- 
der; and as a result of the long bullet and high and 
well sustained velocity, the curve described by the bul- 
let is much nearer a straight line — "its trajectory is 
flatter" — its penetration greater, and its range longer. 
There is another deviation laterally from the straight 
line shown by a rifle bullet and more pronounced in 
rifles having a quick twist: this is called "drift." It 
is a lateral movement due to the spin of the bullet on 
its long axis. As the bullet is constantly falling in its 
flight, the under surface meets with more air resist- 
ance than the upper, and the bullet therefore tends to 
roll laterally on this denser air ; so that a rifle having 
a right hand direction to its pitch of rifling will cause 
a bullet to drift to the right, while one with a left hand 
twist will drift to the left. Correction of this drift 
needs to be made on the sights of match rifles, but on 
the military sight of our National Arm — the Krag — 
the correction is made automatically when the eleva- 
tion is chano-ed. 



From The American Standpoint. zp 



CHAPTER III. 

SELECTING A RIFLE. 

Securing a perfect rifle is the first step toward good 
shooting. Under some conditions of military servi- 
tude, this important matter is a mere question of luck — 
the soldier must use what is given to him and say- 
nothing, be the weapon good or bad. But all are not 
so unfortunately situated, and if there is any chance 
of the prospective rifleman buying the gun for him- 
self, I would strongly recommend him to do so. 

SCHUETZEN RIFLE. 

If the rifle sought is a Schuetzen rifle, there will be 
little difficulty in obtaining a good one. The Win- 
chester single shot, the Remington and the Stevens, 
are perhaps the best of those now manufactured. For 
this kind of shooting, the rifle should weigh between 
10 and 13 pounds, have a barrel of about 30 inches 
length, and be chambered for either the 32-40, 32 
Ideal, or 38-55 cartridge. It should have double set- 
triggers, a mid range vernier rear sight, and a wind 
guage front sight, and the butt plate should be of the 
Swiss or Schuetzen pattern, so as to fit the shoulder 
comfortably in off-hand shooting. But it is not neces- 
sary nor advisable to spend $15.00 or so extra in ob- 
taining from the factory the special stock generally 
found on such rifles. These special stocks are an un- 
doubted help to the rifleman in making fine scores, 
but it is far better, and costs no more, to have one 
made by hand to fit the shooter by an expert gun- 



20 



Modern Rifle Shooting 




FIG. I. SCHUETZEN RIFLES. 



smith, rather than take the ones of average measure- 
ments turned out by the factory. There is the same 
difference' in fit between the two, as there is between 
the ready-made and the made-to-order suit of clothes. 
It is time enough to get the specially made stock when 
one has mastered the first principles of shooting. 

There are various other devices used by the off- 
hand rifleman with which the beginner will become 
familiar as he progresses ; notably the "palm rest," a 
knob on the end of a steel rod projecting from the 
under side of the forearm (Fig. i), and various pe- 
culiarly shaped trigger guards, having a hook for each 
finger. Many of these attachments are fitted by rifle- 
men themselves to their own rifles, and the best re- 
sults from such appliances are obtained when so fitted. 
Although I have done a great deal of this kind of 
shooting, I could never obtain any advantage from the 



From The American Standpoint. 21 

use of the palm rest, the fancy hooks on the trigger 
guard, or the large patches of leather some riflemen 
put around the rear sight so as to avoid the necessity 
of closing the left eye. Unless the shooter can appre- 
ciate a distinct gain with their aid, it is best to avoid 
them. But as all of these attachments are allowable, 
it gives free scope to the inventive genius of the rifle- 
man, and serves to quicken his interest and develop 
analytical thought, closer study of the rifle, and a bet- 
ter knowledge of ballistic principles in general. For 
these reasons I look upon the 200 yard match rifle 
shooting as a valuable branch of the sport, and one that 
is likely to survive no matter how popular other 
branches become. 

A rifle of this character, factory made, which is cap- 
able of doing fine work in the hands of a good shot, 
will cost between $20.00 and $25.00, if nothing in the 
way of ornamentation or special stock is ordered with 
it. If an extra fine shooting outfit is desired, for 
prices ranging from $25.00 to $45.00 extra, one of the 
special barrels made by H. M. Pope, of Chicopee 
Falls, Mass., or A. O. Zischang, of Syracuse, N. Y., 
can be fitted. But they are out of place in the hands 
of a beginner, who would be almost certain to ruin 
them. The fitting of a specially made stock, by a skill- 
ed gunsmith, in addition to the special barrel, will 
bring the rifle to the highest state of perfection found 
in this type of gun, fit for the best of our 200 yard 
experts to use. 

The cartridges used in the 200 yard off-hand rifle 
are nearly always reloaded by the shooter himself, for 
better results by far can be obtained with ammunition 
of this kind than by the best factory loaded cartridges. 
The brass shells as now made will last from 50 to 200 



22 Modern Rifle Shooting 

shots each, in fact they last so long that the cost in new 
shells is almost nothing. The powder used is very cheap, 
and the bullets also are moulded by the rifleman him- 
self as a rule, at a cost of about 25 cents a hundred. 
It will be seen, therefore, that of all kinds of shooting, 
this is the most economical. The ammunition ques- 
tion will later be considered more fully. 

THE MILITARY RIFLE. 

When it comes to the selection of a military rifle, 
all considerations of difference in pattern are of course 
eliminated. There is often the possibility of choosing 
one of a batch of rifles, however, and with a little care 
and perseverance I believe anyone with a certain de- 
gree of manual dexterity can determine which rifles 
promise to do accurate work, and which do not, by fol- 
lowing the instructions I am about to' give. 

Many a military man I have observed make his se- 
lection of a gun solely on the nicety of its trigger pull. 
Perhaps that was because the trigger pull was the only 
indication available for him to go by. But there are 
other indications that a little study will render avail- 
able, and which are of great value in selecting a good 
gun. The trigger pull can be totally disregarded, for 
anyone with a little mechanical ingenuity can adjust 
it to suit himself, as hereafter described. 

Our chief attention, then, will center upon the bar- 
rel. First look through it just as the gun is received. 
It may be full of grease, or may have a thin coating of 
grease in which particles of dust are embedded, or it 
may be clean or dirty. This first inspection will serve 
as a pointer as to what care has recently been bestowed 
upon the weapon. Next, run a rag through the barrel, 



From The American Standpoint. 



23 




2 4 



Modern Rifle Shooting 




From The American Standpoint. 25 



always cleaning from the breech if possible. Notice 
what comes out on the rag — whether it is dust or dirt, 
or rust. If it is rust, and there are many other guns 
to select from, it is better to discard the gun then and 
there, and proceed to examine another. 

After the barrel has been thoroughly wiped out 
with tight fitting rags, it should be taken into a good 
light, and its inside thoroughly examined for rough- 
ness of any kind — evidences of previous rusting, pit- 
ting, or scratches made by wrong methods of clean- 
ing, or other abuse. Some barrels may even show a 
distinct bulging or "ring" in some part, where an ob- 
struction has lodged and a ball fired through the bar- 
rel without previously removing the obstruction. Even 
a piece of cleaning rag inadvertently left in the gun 
will sometimes do this, while if the obstruction is heavy 
the barrel is likely to burst. Any barrel that shows 
these defects should of course be rejected. Some bar- 
rels, it is true, are capable of good work even thougn 
they do show rough places in their interior, but the 
rough spots are always liable to attract a deposit of 
hard fouling, which adheres most tenaciously to them ; 
and the conditions of most military matches prohibit 
cleaning the rifle until the completion of the score. 
Therefore, any rough spot in the interior of a barrel is 
always a menace, and may in itself cause inaccuracy; 
and any defect is worse the nearer it is to the muzzle. 

The next step is to determine the evenness of the 
bore. For this purpose, a soft lead bullet that will 
fit rather tightly, so as to take an impression of the 
rifling to the bottom of the grooves, is to be used. For 
the 30 calibre, the bullet of the 32-20 Winchester cart- 
ridges does very well. The barrel is first well lu- 
bricated with a thin lubricant (machine oil) and the 



26 Modern Rifle Shooting 

clean, soft bullet pushed through from breech to muz- 
zle by means of a brass rod. Push slowly and care- 
fully, and notice how much pressure is required. Of 
course, it will take some extra pressure at the breech 
to make the lands* cut into the bullet ; but after that, the 
bullet should require a steady, even pressure, slightly 
increasing as it nears the muzzle which should be the 
tightest place. In other words, a rifle to do the best 
work should be slightly choke bored, or at any rate the 
calibre should not widen as the muzzle is approached. 
If the bullet, after being tight and smooth for a few 
inches, suddenly comes to a loose place in the barrel, 
that barrel will not as a rule shoot well in its present 
condition ; and the nearer the muzzle the loose place is, 
the worse the barrel will shoot. 

In making this test, it is important not to let the bul- 
let stop, but to keep it steadily moving. Also, if pre- 
caution is taken to prevent its dropping out of the 
muzzle, it can be pushed back again from the muzzle 
to the breech, and the previous measurements verified. 
In the latter case, it should go easier the further it is 
pushed down from the muzzle. 

Variations in the size of the bore from the normal 
will make but little difference in the older rifles, using 
the 45 calibre ammunition. The lead alloy used in the 
45 calibre bullet will "upset"* on the explosion of the 
powder charge, and fill the bore so tight as to practi- 
cally prevent leakage of gas past the bullet. The case 
is far different, however, with the 30 calibre. The 
hard envelope used on this bullet, the less sudden de- 
velopment of pressure by the smokeless powder, and 



*The LANDS of a rifle are the elevated portions of the bar- 
rel, between the grooves. 



From The American Standpoint. 2j 

the air space used in high power cartridges, all tend to 
prevent or modify the upsettage of the modern bullet. 
There can be no doubt that a certain degree of upset- 
tage does occur with the 30 calibre, but it is not nearly 
so great, nor does it take place uniformly at the com- 
mencement of the rifling as in the case of the black 
powder rifle. The result is, if the bullet is not capable 
of fitting tight without upsettage, there is an escape 
of gas past the bullet — more on one shot, less on an- 
other, depending upon where and in what degree the 
upsettage takes place. Now, the uneven shooting pro- 
duced by this gas leak is bad enough ; but owing to 
their extremely high temperature and the energetic 
chemical characteristics of some of them, smokeless 
powder gases escaping past a bullet actually cut little 
grooves and channels in the barrel steel in their path, 
which in turn favor a greater escape on the next shot — 
forming a vicious combination, in which the effect 
augments the cause, and vice versa. 

The dimensions of the inside of the barrel can be 
very accurately measured by means of the lead bullet 
that has been pushed through. But the pushing 
through should be done very carefully, so as not to 
upset the bullet after it is deprived of the supporting 
wall of the barrel. For these fine measurements a mi- 
crometer caliper is necessary, and a certain degree of 
skill in manipulating the same. But if one really ex- 
pects to study intelligently the problems connected with 
rifle shooting the sooner he procures and learns how 



+By the UPSET of a bullet is not meant the tipping of its 
axis out of proper relation with the bore ; what is really meant 
is the foreshortening and increase in diameter due to its sud- 
den start, very much the same as would result from the blow 
of a hammer delivered upon the base of the bullet. 



28 Modern Rifle Shooting 

to use a micrometer caliper, the better. The diameter 
of the bullet is to be taken at its widest part, where the 
lead has been forced down into the bottom of the 
grooves. A bullet which has been pushed through 
from breech to muzzle should not measure over .3085 
inch diameter, and one that has been pushed into the 
rifling just ahead of the chamber and then pushed out 
again should not measure over .309 inch. It will be 
better if a barrel can be found that is >4 or 1 thou- 
sandth tighter than this, and it had better be too tight 
than too loose, for most of the bullets found on the 
market are under size. Then again, the barrel will not 
get smaller by wear, you may depend on it, but will 
get larger the longer it is shot. 

Having found a barrel that meets these require- 
ments, the gun should next be dismounted, i. e , the 
barrel taken off of the stock. Too much care cannot 
be used in doing this, to avoid marring or bending 
the barrel. Be particularly careful of the muzzle. 
Notice whether the steel bands which hold the barrel 
and stock together bind too tightly. They should be 
tight enough to hold the barrel firmly in place, but not 
too tight to be easily slipped off without hammering. 
If they bind, carefully scrape or file the wood of the 
stock sufficiently to free them to the proper degree. 
This apparently small detail is more important than it 
appears at first thought, for the barrel expands far 
more than the wood from the heat of firing, and if it 
is not free to slip under the bands, the tension of the 
wood will produce a downward curve in the barreljust 
as the bow string curves the bow. The result will be 
that the hotter the gun gets, the lower it will shoot: 
or it may perhaps shoot irregularly, up and down, in 
the most exasperating manner. 



From The American Standpoint. 29 

Next examine the stock itself, to see whether it is 
bent or warped in any way. If it is, it is far safer to 
discard that stock and get another, for a warped piece 
of wood that has been straightened is sure to give 
trouble at some future time. The tension of a warped 
stock may appear like a trifle, but it takes little press- 
ure to bend the barrel of a high power rifle, it is 
so thin. And it takes precious little bending or spring- 
ing of the barrel to cause poor shooting. Indeed, suc- 
cess in rifle shooting is largely the result of attention 
to little details. 

This is about as far as a rifleman, without special 
appliances and training, can go in the selection of a 
gun. It is true that a gun may pass inspection on all 
of these points and still be a poor shooting one from 
other causes too deep for the rifleman to go into, but 
the chances are remote ; and in nearly every case a gun 
so selected will prove to be all right. 

Further improvement can now be made in improv- 
ing and adjusting the trigger pull.* On many rifles, 
the pull will be found to be greatly over that required 
by the rules. And the Krag, as it comes from the 
srmory, is afflicted with a most annoving compound 
"draff"§. 



*By the "weight of the trigger pull" is meant the amount of 
weight necessary to apply to the trigger in order to fire the 
gun, when held in a vertical position. It is generally tested 
either by means of a suitable weight provided with a rod hav- 
ing a hook on the end so that it can be hung on the trigger, or 
by means of a spring balance provided with a similar hook that 
can be caught in the trigger in any position, and tension applied 
until the lock snaps ; the number of pounds being read from 
the scale of the spring balance. The National Rifle Associa- 
tion requires a four-pound pull on the military riile 

§DRAG means the distance through which it is necessary to 
pull the trigger before the gun will be discharged. 



jo Modern Rifle Shooti?ig 

The lock of the Springfield is so nearly like the 
familiar shotgun lock that to fix it up is generally 
an easy matter ; the chief points to bear in mind are, 
that the drag depends upon the depth to which the sear 
enters into the notch provided for it, while the pull de- 
pends on the angle at which the notch is cut. The 
chief difficulty is in controlling its strong spring, and 
if a spring vise is not available it is better to have a 
gunsmith make the alterations. 

It is very easy for the rifleman himself to improve 
the trigger pull of the Krag.** 

A careful examination shows that there are two 
elements to the drag; first, a horizontal pull along the 
line (A-B, Fig. 4), which feels as though one were 
pulling against a spring, and second, a rather grating 
feeling as the trigger movement changes approxi- 
mately to the direction (C-D). The first element is 
caused by the rolling of the rounded projection (E) of 
the trigger upon the bottom of the receiver (F), and 
ends when the extremity (G) of the trigger comes in 
contact with the projection (H) on the receiver. The 
second part of the drag is caused by the pulling of the 
point of the sear out of the notch in the firing-bolt, into 
which it has entered too deeply. To remove the drag 
by grinding, remove the trigger and sear, and take out 
the pin (J) which joins them ; then grind off the 
rounded portion of the trigger (E), so that the trigger 
when applied to the action without the sear will rest on 
the points (M-G). This removes the first element of 
the drag. Now put the trigger and sear together, 
drive the pin into place, and carefully grind off that 



**In this work, the U. S. Magazine Rifle, Calibre 30-40, is 
referred to as the Krag, partly for brevity, and partly because 
that is the name by which it is popularly known among riflemen. 



From The American Standpoint. 



3i 



part of the sear, little by little, which projects above 
(O-P), trying the pull frequently by slipping both 
trigger and sear, without their spring, back into the 
action and snapping a few times. 

The second element of the drag becomes less as this 
grinding progresses. If carried too far the gun can- 
not be cocked, as the firing-bolt will not engage in the 
sear. In that case the sear can be made to project 
more again by grinding off some of the top of the trig- 
ger at (M). In many of the rifles the bolt does not fit 
snugly in the action, and can be shaken up and down 
by the fingers, whether open or closed ; with such a gun 
it is not safe to grind the sear down very far, as it is 
possible that at times the sear may not firmly catch in 
the firing-bolt, and the gun be prematurely fired with- 
out the trigger being touched, owing to the looseness 
of the bolt. This can be tested by seizing the cocking 
knob on the end of the firing-bolt and lifting vigor- 
ously, the gun being cocked. If the firing-bolt can be 
released from the sear in this way, the limit of safety 
has been passed ; otherwise it has not. The tighter the. 
bolt is fitted, the cleaner the gun can be made to pull. 




FIG. 4 — DIAGRAM SHOWING CAUSE OF THE DRAG TO TRIGGER PULL 
IN U. S. MAGAZINE RIFLE, AND REMEDY FOR SAME. 



J2 Modern Rifle Shooting 




FIG. 5. SIMPLE MECHANICAL DEVICE FOR ELIMINATING THE DRAG 
TO TRIGGER PULL OF U. S. MAGAZINE RIFLE. 

But a much easier way of eliminating the drag is by 
means of a thin piece of steel of the shape shown in 
(A, Fig. 5). A piece of hacksaw blade from which 
the temper has been drawn and the teeth filed off an- 
swers perfectly. This is then clamped between the 
trigger-guard and the wood stock of the gun as shown. 
A piece of bent wire inserted through the opening in 
the trigger-guard can be caught in the hole (B) and 
thus the piece of steel can be moved back and forth, 
in this way limiting the forward movement of the trig- 
ger, and so adjusting the depth to which the sear en- 
ters, at once removing the entire drag. When ad- 
justed to the right point, the screws holding the trig- 
ger-guard on are tightened very firmly, preventing the 
steel from changing its position. 

The latter method, involving the addition of a steel 
plate to the mechanism of the rifle, was at first ob- 
jected to by the officers in charge of the National Rifle 
Association matches, and the rifleman who would se- 
cure the advantages of a clean trigger pull was obliged 
to resort to the first method, which was a proceeding 
along the same lines as had always been permitted in 
the Springfield. But the simplicity of the latter pro- 
cedure was soon recognized and now the majority of 
riflemen who use the Krag adjust their trigger pull in 
this way, and no objection is made. 



From The American Standpoint. jj 

Besides the drag, there is as a rule a certain rough- 
ness to the trigger pull that it pays to get rid of. The 
roughness can be remedied by smoothing down the 
edge of the sear, and the notch (or rather projection) 
on the under side of the firing-bolt in which it engages, 
so that the friction will take place between two smooth 
surfaces. For this purpose, two small slips, one of 
emery and one of oil stone, will be required. They 
can be purchased from dealers in jewellers' and watch- 
makers' supplies. First use the emery, then wipe 
clean, and finish with the oil stone to a smooth, even 
polish. It is remarkable what a difference this will 
make in the feeling of the trigger pull. 

The beginner will now have spent quite considerable 
time and effort in the endeavor to procure a good rifle. 
But what a satisfaction to have one so selected ! It is 
the first step in forming that peculiar attachment for 
one's own rifle, that almost imbues it with a person- 
ality. Only one who is a rifleman himself can appre- 
ciate the superior feeling of confidence one has in his 
own gun over those that are new and strange to him, 
in whatever way it falls to his lot to use the rifle — in 
the hunt, in peace or in war. 

As before intimated, the match rifle for long range 
shooting, since the use of the old black powder long 
range rifles has largely died out, approaches so near to 
the military rifle that some shooters prefer to use the 
same rifle for both kinds of shooting. The Krag does 
fine enough work with the improved ammunition now 
available to merit fitting a set of target sights to it. 
This will be considered more fully under the chapter 
dealing with sights. The new 30 cal. Springfield will 
undoubtedly be still better for the purpose, owing to 
its more even distribution of weight of metal in action. 



34- Modern Rifle Shooting 

The Remington-Lee is also a remarkably good action 
for a long range rifle of the high power type, and as 
it has been adopted by the State of Michigan as its 
official weapon, it is not difficult to fit up a Rem- 
ington-Lee so that it can be used for both kinds of 
shooting. And it may be here stated that if the rifle 
comes from the Remington factory, the shooter need 
not worry about its ability to pass the tests just out- 
lined, for Remington rifles are of sterling quality. 

In England the most popular long range target rifle 
is the Dutch Mannlicher, of .256 calibre. It is cer- 
tainly a fine shooting weapon, but it has the disad- 
vantages of a light bullet that is easily deflected by the 
wind, its barrel wears out very quickly, and ammuni- 
tion for it is not at present procurable except by im- 
portation. It is therefore far better to stick to weapons 
of American manufacture or at any rate to those us- 
ing the United States Government cartridge ; for the 
latter has already been improved, through the efforts 
of the shooting fraternity, far beyond any other cart- 
ridge manufactured in the United States. It. is at 
present capable of very fine work at the longest ranges, 
and furthermore whatever additional improvement we 
can make in it will be of national benefit. 



Froni The American Standpoint. 35 

CHAPTER IV. 

EQUIPMENT OF THE RIFLEMAN. 

Besides his rifle, ammunition and sights, the 
Schuetzen rifleman will need little in the way of equip- 
ment. A satchel for carrying the outfit, a scorebook, 
carrying case, cleaning rod and cleaning materials, 
will be all that are really necessary ; though some of the 
articles to be recommended for the military and long 
range match rifle shooter will perhaps not come amiss. 

The scorebook of the Schuetzen rifleman need only 
be a small blank book, preferably about 3^ by 5 V2 
inches, in which can be ruled lines and columns so as 
to make the recording of 10 shot scores easy. One 
page in a book of this size will be sufficient for record- 
ing a day's shooting. The other articles will be simi- 
lar to corresponding ones in the outfit of the military 
or long range shooter, to> the description of whose 
equipment we will now pass. 

Besides the score book, shooting bag, carrying case, 
cleaning rod and materials the long range rifleman, 
whether he shoots with the military or match rifle, will 
find it convenient to carry a box for holding his target 
sights and vernier, a telescope or field glass, some cot- 
ton wool for plugging the ears when necessary, bottles 
or other receptacles for various chemicals, etc., and a 
small box containing various tools. 

In England and Canada regular riflemen's bags are 
sold, with compartments arranged for each article. 
None have appeared on the market in this country as 



36 



Modern Rifle Shooting 




FIG. 6. SHOOTING BAG SHUT. 




FIG. 7. SHOOTING BAG OPEN. 



From The American Standpoint. 3J 

yet. But the rifleman can readily improvise a bag that 
will answer the purpose better than some of the spe- 
cially made shooting bags. One that I have used with 
the greatest satisfaction is shown, closed, in Fig. 6, 
and open in Fig. 7. Its dimensions are 1 1 inches long, 
$y 2 inches high, and 6 inches wide. It is one of a 
large variety of medicine satchels made by the Com- 
stock-Hoff Co., of 31 Warren St., New York City. 
The septum in the middle is provided with metal clips 
intended for holding medicine bottles, but by suitable 
adjustment they may be made to hold many of the 
small articles contained in the rifleman's outfit, and the 
surplus ones removed. The bag is capable of being 
entirely opened into two halves, joined only by the 
hinges along the bottom, and as these two halves lie 
flat upon the ground all parts of the bag are readily 
accessible. A small sheet of rubber or oil cloth to 
cover the open bag will render it waterproof in wet 
weather. 

Scorebooks for military and long range shooting 
have not been sold in this country of late years, al- 
though in the old long range days there were a num- 
ber of different kinds published, some of them excel- 
lent. The most popular of those in use at the present 
time appears to be the one published by the Laflin & 
Rand Powder Co. I have been endeavoring to find 
out by practical use and by observations among the 
shooting fraternity just in what directions this book 
requires improvement, if any, and the second edition, 
which will embody the results of these observations is 
likely to be still more satisfactory. Excellent score- 
books are published in England, but they do not adapt 
themselves very well to our methods. 

The carrying case, while not a necessity, is certain- 



j8 Modern Rifle Shooting 

ly so great a convenience in protecting and preserv- 
ing the rifle that the novice who has obtained a good 
rifle should surely buy one. Both leather and 
canvas cases are obtainable, at prices ranging from 75 
cents to several dollars. If a good leather case can be 
obtained, it is preferable to a canvas one. But the ma- 
jority of the leather cases one sees in use are made of 
very poor leather, and it is better to have a good can- 
vas case (costing about $1.50) than a poor leather one 

The cleaning rod should be about 42 inches long, 
of ^ -inch brass for the 30 calibres. A plain brass rod, 
with a suitably shaped rag holder turned on one end, 
and the other provided with a threaded hole for hold- 
ing the brass wire brush, will be found the most dur- 
able and convenient. The fancy jointed rods are a de- 
lusion and a snare, and are well avoided by experienced 
riflemen. A brass wire brush, to fit the rod, should 
also be purchased ; for 30 calibre rifles it is best to have 
the brush of 32 calibre, for the brass wires wear out 
very rapidly. For use on the knob end of the rod, 
rags of suitable size should be carried. Cut them so 
that they will fit snug, but not too tight; and remem- 
ber that they will be more difficult to> push through 
when the gun is dirty than when it is clean and oily. 
Canton flannel seems to be the most favored material 
for the cleaning rags. 

Almost any kind of box can be fitted up by a rifle- 
man of some mechanical ingenuity for carrying his 
target sights, vernier, and any other small and easily 
damaged articles he may desire to take with him. A 
block of wood set into the box, with recesses chiselled 
out for each article, and the block afterwards covered 
with velvet, makes a very handsome and convenient 
arrangement. 



Fro7n The American Standpoint. jp 

The telescope or field glass is almost a necessity for 
accurately spotting the shots in long range shooting. 
The new prism binocular field glasses that have made 
their appearance in recent years are very popular with 
American shooters, but cost from $35.00 to $60.00. 
Those made in America have seemed to me to be equal, 
if not better, than the imported glasses. My own are 
of Bausch & Lomb make, and are entirely satisfactory. 
For $5.00 or $10.00, however, a telescope can be ob- 
tained that is even more powerful than the prism 
binoculars ; but it is difficult to find the target quickly 
enough with a telescope, so that if one is used it is ad- 
visable to fit it with some kind of a low stand that can 
be stuck in the ground beside the shooter. By using 
the latter device the glass may be kept continually fo- 
cussed upon the target, and will then be even more con- 
venient than the prism binoculars. Mirage shows bet- 
ter through a telescope than it does through a binocu- 
lar, and often furnishes far more valuable aid in judg- 
ing the wind than do the clock and range flags in such 
general use. 

The chemicals, etc., which I have found it conven- 
ient to carry in my bag are, a bicycle oil can contain- 
ing the nitro-cleaning fluid, (See formula on P. 139), 
another oil can containing some good thin lubricating 
oil, a small bottle of gasoline to aid in removing all oil 
from the barrel before beginning to shoot, and a bottle 
of liquid sight black (Formula on P. 138). Formerly 
I used to carry a jar of the rust preventive (P. 138) but 
the nitro cleaner itself seems to have very good rust 
preventing qualities, although when I was experiment- 
ing on it I only had in mind the development of a 
cleaning solution. 

The tools carried by different riflemen vary greatly 



40 Modern Rifle Shooting 

in number and kind. Some carry none, and jibe their 
fellow riflemen for carrying them ; when they get into 
trouble and need tools at the range, this enterprising 
type of individual generally borrows anything he 
pleases from the very man he has been ridiculing, and 
often forgets to return what he has borrowed. Don't 
start out by being that kind of rifleman. The tools I 
have found it very useful to carry are, a screw driver 
of small size, a 6-inch electrician's cutting pliers, a 
couple of small files, (one of them a "rat tail") and 
the emery and oilstone slips previously alluded to. 
Other tools can be added to this list if the necessity for 
them is felt, but these I have found of exceptional util- 
ity. They should all be of the finest quality obtainable. 

A very convenient article to carry is a protector sim- 
ilar to that in use by the British military rifleman, es- 
pecially for the front sight. It is so made that it not 
only protects the sight from injury, but also prevents 
the sight blacking from being rubbed off. Our front 
sight sticks up like a sore thumb, and needs it more 
than the British sight. The British pattern does not 
fit our rifles well, but one of our enterprising Ameri- 
can riflemen, K. K. V. Casey, is at work adapting it to 
the American weapon, and it will probably soon be 
upon the market. See Fig. 8. 

Having obtained these articles and supplies, the 
rifleman can now be considered to be pretty well 
equipped. He should neatly arrange them in his shoot- 
ing bag, finding a place for each article where he can 
conveniently get at it without disarranging the other 
contents, and then endeavor to always keep each arti- 
cle in its allotted place. This will save time, temper, 
and enable the rifleman to more easily maintain that 
serene mental condition necessary for thoughtful study 
of the problems that confront him during his shoot- 
ing. 



From The American Standpoint. 41 




FIG. 8. SIGHT PROTECTOR OPEN. 




FIG. 8. SIGHT PROTECTOR CLOSED. 



4 2 



Modern Rifle Shooting 




o 



From The American Standpoint. 



43 



CHAPTER V. 
SIGHTS, SIGHTING AND AIMING. 

Sights are used on a rifle for the purpose of facili- 
tating accurate aim. In all except the shortest range 
gallery rifles of cheap quality, provision is made for 
obtaining accurately measured vertical and lateral ad- 
justment of the sights. Sometimes one sight is fixed, 
and both vertical and lateral movement provided for 
on the rear sight. In other cases, (chiefly on target 
sights) lateral movement is provided on the front 
sight, and elevation obtained on the rear. 

The sights used on military rifles are of course built 
for hard service, and are therefore not as fine nor as 
capable of delicate movement as the target sights. Two 
of the most popular American military sights are 
shown in Fig. 9, (a) is the sight issued on the Krag a 





FIG. 9 A. KRAG SIGHT 189b. 



Modern Rifle Shooting 




FIG. 9 B. KRAG SIGHT I90I. 



few years ago, and known as the 1898 model. It is an 
open sight, and is still popular with some riflemen. 
But the best of all military sights in my opinion, is our 
latest, model 1901 (Fig. 9, b.). It is arranged so that 
it can be used either as an open or a peep sight, and 
has the further advantage that the drift is corrected 
automatically. Both sights are provided with lateral 
adjustments to offset the effects of the wind. 

In Fig. 10 are shown various kinds of target sights. 
In most of these, the lateral movement is made with 
the front sight. But H. M. Pope, (Fig. 10, a) and the 
Remington Arms Company, both make remarkably 
good rear sights for fine target shooting that have 
both vertical and lateral movements. It is permissable 
also for target sights to be equipped with a spirit level. 



From The American Standpoint. 



45 




FIG. II A. 



46 



Modern Rifle Shooting 




From The American Standpoint. 



47 




FIG. IO A. 




For 200 yard shooting, the rear sight is mounted in the 
position shown in Fig. 1. Long range shooting, when 
target sights are used, is generally done from the back 
position (Fig. 20 A page 88), and the rear 
sight is then mounted on the heel. In Fig. 11 
I offer a photograph of the way the target 
sights are applied on my own military rifle, 
converting it when so desired into a match rifle. 
On the whole, I think it is more satisfactory than when 
I used to keep two separate rifles, one for match and 
one for military shooting. H. M. Pope, of Chicopee 
Falls, Mass., says he is willing to make these sight 
fittings for military rifles but they must be made to or- 
der as there is little demand at the present time for 
them in this country. 



48 



Modern Rifle Shooting 




» h 



From The American Standpoint. 49 

Since the adoption of our most excellent military 
sight, riflemen have not manifested so great an inter- 
est in shooting with target sights at long range. The 
chief advantages of the target sights are the presence 
of the spirit level, the greater distance between front 
and rear sight as they are generally mounted, and their 
finer movement and graduations. The spirit level was 
a very great help to good shooting with the old rifles 
of high trajectory.* Even with the modern weapon it 
is an undoubted help, but by following the instruc- 
tions (q.v.) in sighting, good work can be done with- 
out it. The adoption of the detachable vernier and 
micrometer for moving the military sight (Fig. 12) 
makes the movement and readings just as fine as those 
of the target sights. Some undoubted advantage nev- 
ertheless remains with the match sights, especially for 
long range shooting, and I therefore believe they 
should be used more than they are; for exceptional 
accuracy of aim is desirable when one is attempting to 
form an opinion as to the comparative merits of dif- 
ferent samples of ammunition, etc. But whether 
through some interference with the flip of the barrel 
en firing or from some other cause, the Krag has never 
seemed to me to do quite as good work when shot from 
the back position as when fired from the prone posi- 
tion, although it can undoubtedly be held steadier. I 
nevertheless believe the rifleman will miss one-third 
of the pleasure to be derived from his rifle, if he neg- 
lects to obtain and occasionally use a set of target 
sights. 



*Trajectory means the upward curve which a projectile 
makes in its flight. The trajectory is said to be "flatter" 
when it approaches nearer to a straight line, and "higher" when 
the curve is more pronounced. 



jo Modern Rifle Shooting 

The telescope sight (Fig. 13) is one deserving of 
more attention from a military point of view than has 
been bestowed upon it, and I think we may look for 
great development in this direction in the near future. 
It consists of a telescope having cross-hairs, like a sur- 
veyor's instrument, mounted on the rifle. 

Its advantages are not so pronounced at the target, 
where we are shooting at a black spot on a well illu- 
minated white background. But hunters have found 
it of great service in the pursuit of game 
that is very hard to see in its natural sur- 
roundings, and this is particularly the sphere 
in which it would be of great use in military 
service. For the day of the gaudy uniform is past, 
and our aim in the battles of the future will have to be 
taken at men so dressed as to contrast as little as pos- 
sible with their surroundings. A kneeling man 600 
yards distant in khaki uniform outlined against a sand 
bank is a difficult shot with the military sight, not be- 
cause he represents too small a mark, but because it is 
almost impossible to see him. But with a telescope 
sight a good marksman, armed with a 30 calibre rifle, 
would in good weather seldom miss. The great diffi- 
culty with the telescopic sight heretofore has been the 
unsatisfactory nature of the mountings supplied, and 
the liability of both mounting and telescope to become 
displaced or injured. 




FIG. 13. ILLUSTRATING SIDLE TELESCOPE SIGHT. 



From The American Standpoint. 51 

The King Optical Co., of New York, has just 
brought out a detachable lens sight (Fig. 14) which 
affords many of the advantages of a telescopic sight 
without the disadvantages arising from the tube and 
mountings of the latter. It is in reality a set of lenses 
to use in connection with the regular Krag sights, 
rather than a new sight in itself. Operating on the 
principle of the opera glass or "Gallileo telescope," the 
use of a concave eye-piece makes the employment of 
cross hairs as in a telescope sight impossible, for there 
is no way by which they could be focussed. The mag- 
nified image of the object is seen through the lenses, 
while at the same time the front and rear sights can 
be seen clearly enough to align them. This represents 
;: new principle, so far as I am aware. The lenses are 
small, readily detached and applied, and can easily be 
carried in the pocket. The power, 4 diameters, is am- 
ple for all ordinary work the soldier would be called 
upon to do. It takes a little practice to get used to them, 
but one soon acquires the knack, and then at least as 
good work at the target can be done as with the mili- 
tary sights unaided, and very much better work if the 
object aimed at is indistinct to the unaided eye. This 
lens sight, in fact, occupies a place by itself, between 
the plain and the telescopic sight ; and I believe it will 
be found to have a distinct sphere of usefulness, par- 
ticularly in its adaptability to military sharp shooting. 



52 



Modern Rifle Shooting 




FIG. 14. 



From The American Standpoint. 



53 




FIG. 14. 



54 



Modern Rifle Shooting 




o 






-u 



!$Ki 



From The American Standpoint. 55 

CHAPTER VI. 

ADJUSTING THE SIGHTS. 

1. — Elevation. Finding the proper elevation to set 
the sights is a task that will require some perseverance 
on the part of the novice. With target sights, it may 
be necessary to begin shooting at the shortest distance 
and gradually work back, for the graduations on the 
rear sight mean nothing as the sights are made in this 
country, and the figures serve only as a means of 
keeping a record. With the military sights the case 
is somewhat easier, for they are marked with figures 
corresponding with the number of hundred yards the 
sight is supposed to be correct for, when set at a given 
mark. But so many things serve to upset the correct- 
ness of these markings, that they will rarely be found 
exactly right. The sights are all made the same, and 
different rifles shoot differently, even though both 
guns are apparently the same. The elevation required 
varies from one day to another owing to different 
weather conditions, and different persons aim so dif- 
ferently that what is correct for one will be all wrong 
for another. Therefore the only reliable way to do is 
to keep a record of the position of the sights after the 
proper adjustment for one's own eyes is found, making 
note of the date, range, condition of light, wind, tem- 
perature, and any other weather conditions on which 
information can be obtained, as well as accurate - data 
concerning the ammunition used. In this way, one's 
old score book soon becomes a mine of valuable in- 
formation ; for besides indicating an average elevation 
from which to work at each range, it is often possible 



$6 Modern Rifle Shooting. 

to find a record of a previous day with identical condi- 
tions. At the shorter ranges, there will be little differ- 
ence in elevation from one day to another. But at the 
longer ranges the difference is often so great as to 
throw one completely off the target. 

The following conditions depress the bullet, and call 
for higher adjustment of the rear sight: i, low tem- 
perature. 2, high barometer. 3, winds blowing more 
or less directly from the target toward the shooter. 4, 
light changes affect the point at which the bullet will 
strike, not by modifying its flight, but by causing dif- 
ferences in the aim that are not apparent to the 
shooter. Those changes which cause the shot to strike 
lower are: (a) much vapor or mirage.* (b) less 
than the usual amount of illumination on the target, 
(c) bright light on front sight. 

Opposite conditions, to wit : High temperature, low 
barometric pressure, rear winds, clearing off of a mir- 
age, bright target, and dark sights, will cause the shot 
to strike higher. 

These effects, also, are particularly noticeable at 
long range. The changes of elevation caused by wind 
are not nearly as great as the effect of wind in deviat- 
ing the bullet laterally, owing to the much smaller sec- 
tional area of the bullet viewed from the front as com- 
pared with the side. Barometric pressure, too, as a 
rule, changes too- little and too slowly to cause much 



*Mirage is that peculiar, wavering appearance which the 
target has when, from differences in temperature or uneven 
content of vapor, the air of the range is not uniform in its 
refraction. Looking at a brightly illuminated scene through 
the air above a hot radiator will illustrate mirage. On rifle 
ranges it is generally due to the action of the sun's heat upon 
the moisture in the ground. 



From The American Standpoint. 57 

annoyance; but it may make considerable difference 
from one day's shooting to another. A difference of 

1 inch in the barometric pressure will only make a dif- 
ference of about 4^2 inches at 500 yards, but at 1000 
yards it would make a difference of about 18 inches. 

On the other hand, temperature and light are liable 
to sudden changes, and the sun suddenly becoming ob- 
scured by clouds is likely to cause a sudden disappear- 
ance of the mirage. These, then, are the disturbing 
factors of elevation which demand the closest watch- 
ing in long range shooting. Changes of temperature 
affect the bullet to the extent of about 1 foot for each 
10 degrees, at 1000 yards, but the effect is only about 

2 inches at 500 yards. The extent of the effect of light 
and mirage is different on different riflemen, and will 
therefore have to be studied in each individual case. 
But memorizing the above rules will greatly aid the 
shooter in this study, and it should be borne in mind 
that the ability to correctly estimate the combined ef- 
fect of several of these factors, some working one 
way and some the other, is one of the chief elements 
of success in long range shooting. 

LATERAL ALLOWANCES. 

Besides the lateral deviation due to drift, which has 
already been mentioned, the flight of the bullet is also 
markedly affected by wind. The drift is corrected au- 
tomatically on the latest model sight (Fig. 9, b) sup- 
plied on the Krag, but on target sights it will have to 
be allowed for. As ta r get sighted rifles are likely to 
be of many different calibres, the amount of drift cor- 
rect for one will not apply to another, and therefore 
space forbids the insertion of rules for its correction 
in target rifles. It can be determined by a few trials 



5# Modem Rifle Shooting 

when the shooting conditions happen to be exception- 
ally good, with no wind blowing; and the position of 
the sights so determined should be recorded as the 
"Zero" for that distance, and subsequent wind allow- 
ances calculated from this point. 

Even on the service sight, with its automatic drift 
correction, the lateral zero of the gun will not always 
be found to be correct as marked. It is best to' deter- 
mine this point as soon as a good gun is obtained, by 
shooting on a perfectly quiet day at ioo or 200 yards. 
With most of the Krags as issued, the zero will be 
found to be from %. to J / 2 point left. Once this zero is 
found, all calculations should be made from it, and not 
from the marked zero on the sight. The difference is 
not as a rule due to any change in the drift between 
different rifles, but in some cases to faulty workman- 
ship or measurement in putting on the sights, and in 
others to errors of holding on the part of the rifleman 
himself. But if his errors of holding only remain con- 
stant, they will not interfere with good shooting, and 
the above method will then disclose the zero of rifle 
and shooter combined. 

The drift therefore being eliminated from our cal- 
culations, the only remaining lateral disturbing factor 
— wind : — will now be considered. And undoubtedly 
wind is the greatest disturbing factor of all. 

Wind affects the bullet very much as the current of 
a river affects a boat which is propelled across it to- 
ward a definite point on the opposite shore ; but with 
this important difference : the boat keeps up an ap- 
proximately even pace, and if aimed partly up-stream 
to just the correct angle, its course across the river will 
be in a straight line. But the velocity of the bullet is 
continually decreasing, as we have seen, and therefore 



From The American Standpoint. jfp 

the deflected path of the bullet is a curved line, as in 
the case of the trajectory. So that if the wind deflects 
a bullet to the extent of I inch at ioo yards, it will de- 
flect it more than two inches at 200, and considerably 
more than 3 inches at 300, and so on. 

It is for the purpose of correcting these lateral devi- 
ations that the wind guage is supplied on rifle sights. 
If the wind is blowing the bullet to the left of the point 
aimed at, then moving the rear sight to the right will 
cause the barrel to be pointed up into the wind some- 
what, if the sights are trained as in the previous shot. 
And if the movement of the sight has been sufficient, 
the bullet should hit the target at the point aimed at. 

But winds vary both in force and direction, and the 
effect on the bullet varies accordingly. Therefore, to 
shoot well, the rifleman must learn to anticipate, with 
some degree of certainty, what effect a given wind will 
have upon his bullet, so that he may make the proper 
correction. 

The estimation of the strength of the wind has gen- 
erally been a matter of guess work with most riflemen, 
and probably always will be more or less so. They 
generally judge of its force by noticing its effect upon 
the flags provided in various parts of the range for 
the purpose. While experienced shots can often b> 
this means estimate the probable effect of wind with 
remarkable exactness, they sometimes fail most sig- 
nally. Nor can this be wondered at when it is remem- 
bered that all flags are not the same, either in size, 
weight of material, etc., and the same flag will be af- 
fected far differently when wet than when dry. 



r 


V 


TABLE OF WIND ALI 
Showing the amount of lat< 


.OWANCES FOR THE KRAG. 


sral deflec 


,tion of the bullet produced 


by winds of different 


strengths at the target, and the amount of 


correction on sight (model 1901) required. 


r 




No. OF INCHES BULLET 


DISTANCE 


FORCE OF 
WIND 


IS DEFLECTED AT THE TARGET: 


BY 


BY 


BY 


(YDS.) 


IN MILES 


1-5-7 and 11 o'ck. 


2-4-8-10 o'ck. 


3 and 9 o'ck. 


PER HOUR.. 


WINDS : 


WINDS : 


WINDS : 


Amount 


So. of Points 


Amount 


No. of Points 


Amount 


No. of Points 






of 


on Wd Gauge 


of 


on W'd Gauge 


of 


on W'd Gauge 






Deflection 


Required 


Deflection 


Required 


Deflection 


Required 


200 


4 


2 in. 


Y> pt- 


4 in. 


Y pt- 


5 in. 


Y— pt- 


8 


4 " 


Y " 


8 " 


% " 


10 " 


1 — " 




12 


6 " 


Y " 


12 " 


1 " 


1 5 " 


l i " 


I pt. on Gauge 


16 


8 « 


2/ 3 « 


16 " 


ii " 


20 " 


II << 


gives 12 inches 


20 


10 " 


5. it 


20 " 


jx «« 


25 « 


2+ " 


correction &.t 


28 


14 " 


1* " 


28 " 


2i " 


35 " 


3— " 


Target. 


36 


18 " 


ii «« 


36 « 


3 " 


45 " 


4— " 




4 


8 in. 


X+pt- 


16 in. 


#+pt- 


20 in. 


% Pt- 




8 


16 " 


Y+" 


32 " 


I + » 


40 " 


'* " 


500 


12 
16 


24 ". 

32 " 


1+ « 


48 " 
64 " 


14+ " 

2 1 « 


60 " 
80 " 


2 " 

2f » 


I Pt.=30 in. 


20 


40 " 


H " 


80 " 


o2 «< 
^3 


100 " 


3| " 




28 


56 » 


2 — " 


112 " 


3! " 


140 " 


4| « 




36 


72 " 


2J-" 


144 " 


4| " 


180 " 


6 




4 


II in. 


Y— pt- 


21 in. 


%-pt- 


26 in. 


^+Pt- 


600 


8 
12 
16 


21 " 

31 " 

42 « 


1 — " 

1* " 


42 " 
62 " 
83 « 


H " 

T 5 << 

1 6 

2 1 " 


52 " 

78 " 

104 " 


3— " 


I Pt.=36 in. 


20 


52 « 


ii " 


104 " 


3 " 


130 " 


3* " 




28 


73 " 


2 " 


146 " 


4 " 


182 " 


5 " 




36 


94 " 


2 1 << 


187 " 


3s 


234 " 


6* "J 


r 

The above figures a 


re approximate, small fractions having been 


eliminated. 




Note : — Ranges 800, 


900 and 1000 yards are based on my own 


data : the other rang 


es have been worked out from Ordnance 


Department data. 




V 


1 



do 



1 

TABLE OF WIND ALLOWANCES FOR THE 


KRAG 


"\ 


Showing the amount of lateral deflection of the bullet produced 


by winds of different strengths at the target, and the amount of 


correction on sight (model 1901) required, 
v : J 


r 




No. OF INCHES BULLET 


DISTANCE 


FORCE OF 
WIND 


IS DEFLECTED AT THE TARGET. 


BY 


BY 


BY 


(YDS.) 


IN MILES 


1-5-7 and 11 o'ck. 


2-4-8-10 o'ck. 


3 and 9 o'ck. 




PER HOUR. 


WINDS : 


WINDS : 


WINDS : 


Amount 


No. of Points 


Amount 


No. of Points 


Amount 


No. of Points 






of 


on W'd Gauge 


of 


on Wd Gauge 


of 


on W'd Gauge 






Deflection 


required 


Deflection 


Required 


Deflection 


Required 




4 


19 in. 


V% pt. 


38 in. 


X pt. 


48 in. 


1 pt. 


800 


8 
12 


39 " 

58 « 




77 " 
115 « 


If « 

2f " 


96 " 
144 « 


2 " 

3 " 




16 


77 " 


X 8 


154 " 


3i " 


192 " 


4 " 


I Pt.=48 in. 


20 


96 « 


2 " 


192 " 


4 " 


240 " 


5 " 




28 


135 " 




269 " 


Si " 


336 " 


7 " 




36 


173 " 


l5 it 
OS 


346 " 


7i " 


432 " 


9 " 




4 


23 in. 


i— pt-- 


45 in - 


f Pt- 


56 in. 


1 pt. 




8 


45 " 


5. <« 


90 " 


j2 <( 


112 " 


2+« 


900 


12 


67 " 


»i " 


134 " 


2i « 


168 " 


3+" 


16 


90 " 


if « 


179 « 


3i " 


224 " 


4i " 


I Pt.=54 in. 


20 


112 " 


2+" 


224 " 


4i " 


280 " 


Si " 




28 


157 " 


3—" 


3H " 


5* " 


392 « 


7i " 




36 


202 " 


-> 2 << 
03 


403 " 


7i " 


504 " 


9| " 




4 


29 in. 


^ pt. 


58 in. 


1 pt. 


72 in. 


«i pt. 


1000 


8 
12 


58 « 

87 » 


1 " 

ii " 


115 » 
173 " 


2 — " 

24 " 


144 " 
216 " 


2| " 

31 " 




16 


115 « 


2—" 


230 " 


3* " 


288 " 


4* " 


1 Pt.=5 ft. 


20 


144 " 


H " 


288 " 


4| " 


360 " 


6 « 




28 


202 " 


3i " 


403 " 


6|+" 


504 " 


8| » 


v 


36 


259 " 


4* " 


5i8 " 


8| « 


648 " 


io# " . 


The above figures are approximate, small fractions having been 


eliminated. 


Note: — Ranges 800, 900 and 1000 yards are based on my own 


data : the other ranges have been worked out from Ordnance 


Department data. 
*• * 



dr 



62 Modern Rifle Shooting 

To most riflemen, the flags indicate not the number 
of miles per hour of the wind, but so many "points" 
(of needed correction) on the wind guage. But rea- 
lizing the desirability of having a more uniform stand- 
ard to go by, I seized the opportunity afforded during 
the 1902 matches of the National Rifle Association to 
study the effects of accurately measured winds, in so 
far as the short time permitted. This was made pos- 
sible by the Signal Corps, N. G. N. J., setting up a 
recording anemometer; and by keeping record of the 
wind required at different hours during the day, and 
subsequently comparing with the anemometer reading 
for the same time, I ascertained that with my 
Krag at 800 yards each point on the wind guage would 
correct 4 miles of wind per hour, if blowing at right 
angles to the path of the bullet. A 6 mile an hour 
wind required 1% points, a 12 mile wind 3 points, and 
so on, in perfectly regular proportion. At 900 yards, 
one-sixth greater allowance was required ; and at 1000 
yards approximately 25 per cent, more than at 900 
yards. (See wind table, Pages 60-61). 

But winds do not always blow directly across the 
range from right to left, or from left to right; and 
obviously our calculations must be altered for these 
obliquities in direction, as well as for differences in 
force. For convenience, the rifleman refers to the di- 
rection of wind by the figures on the clock dial. The 
shooter is regarded as standing in the centre of an im- 
mense imaginary clock dial, and the target is supposed 
to be at 12 o'clock. A wind, then, coming directly 
from the rear, would be a 6 o'clock wind, one exactly 
from the right a 3 o'clock wind, one from the left a 9 
o'clock wind, while a 12 o'clock wind blows directly in 
the shooter's face ; and the various oblique winds are 
referred to by corresponding figures. 



From The American Standpoint. 6j 

It is evident that a 6 o'clock or a 12 o'clock wind will 
cause no lateral deflection of the bullet, and that a 3 
or 9 o'clock wind will cause the greatest deflection. But 
what proportion of the total 3 and 9 o'clock effect the 
oblique winds will have is a subject that demands 
study. Mr. Tippins, an eminent British rifleman, says 
that 1, 5, 7 and 11 o'clock winds have 1-3 the effect 
of 3 and 9 o'clock winds of the same force, and 2, 4, 8 
and 10 o'clock winds 2-3. But it has seemed to me 
that with our American rifle there is much less differ- 
ence between a 2 and 3 o'clock wind than there is be- 
tween a 1 and 2 o'clock, or between a 12 and 1 o'clock. 
From my records kept since the Krag first came into 
the hands of the civilian rifleman (1900) I have for- 
mulated the table on Pages 60-61. This is scarcely a 
long enough experience by which to construct a perfect 
table, but mine appears so far to be approximately cor- 
rect, and I hope that such discrepancies as become 
manifest — and they are not likely to be very great — 
will be corrected by the rifleman for his own gun. 

In addition to the flags with which every rifle range 
is supplied there is generally a device known as a wind 
clock, consisting of a vane so geared to the single hand 
on a large clock dial, that when the wind is blowing 
from a given direction the hand points to the corres- 
ponding number on the clock. On most of the Ameri- 
can rifle ranges it has been the custom to estimate the 
necessary wind allowance by observing closely the 
flags and clock dial, and these certainly afford quite 
reliable indications as to what is taking place in their 
immediate vicinity. But in inland ranges there are 
likely to be many local currents far different than the 
wind affecting the clock or some of the flags. Indeed, 
some of the flags may indicate precisely the opposite 



64 Modern Rifle Shooting. 

direction to the clock, and to other flags in different 
parts of the range. On the other hand, if there is much 
mirage visible through the telescope, its movement 
often affords more reliable indications than either flags 
or clock; for in observing the mirage through a tele- 
scope trained on the target, we practically see the 
movement of the air through which the bullet must 
pass in its flight, and are not (mis-) guided by what 
is taking place far off to' the one side where the flags 
and clock are located. In addition, the apparent move- 
ment of the mirage seems to average up the total 
amount of lateral deflection, which is certainly better 
than having to watch several flags and a dial, even if 
they are close to the line of fire. It was our unfamiliar- 
ity with this method of estimating wind which lost us 
the international match at Ottawa, Canada, in 1902; 
for at the 900 yard stage very unfavorable conditions 
arose, which it was absolutely impossible for the best 
coaches to judge by the flags. But the English team, 
who were familiar with the mirage method, did nearly 
as good shooting as when the weather conditions were 
good. 



From The American Standpoint. 65 



CHAPTER VII. 

AIMING. 

Aiming consists in aligning with the target, points 
represented by the front and rear sights. To do this 
correctly and uniformly, the rifleman must be able to 
see clearly both the target and the front sight. He 
does not actually see the rear sight, but so adjusts his 
head that the line of sight passes through the centre 
of the peep (or notch, in the case of open sighted 
rifles). 

Of course, to see clearly, one must have good vision. 
There are many persons who have sufficient acuteness 
of vision to get along perfectly in their daily work, 
but who labor under the handicap of various refrac- 
tive errors without being aware of the fact. These un- 
recognized errors sometimes cause trouble in sighting 
a rifle, and will be discussed more fully in the chapter 
dealing with the physical condition of the shooter. 

The great desideratum in learning to aim well is to 
secure uniformity. No matter what method of those 
about to be described is adopted, if the aim is always 
taken in exactly the same manner, any habitual error 
whether vertical or lateral can be corrected by appro- 
priate adjustment of the sight. 

It is often said that there is only one right way to 
do a thing ; and the quoter as a rule would have others 
believe that his way is that way. Disclaiming any in- 
tention of being egotistical, I will describe the way I 
have found to give me the best results first, and then 
try to explain other ways of aiming. 



66 



Modern Rifle Shooting 




fig. 15. 
appearance of sights when a perfect aim is secured. 

(more of the bakrel shows in illustration than is seen in aiming. 




FIG. l6. 
WRONG METHOD OF SIGHTING. 



From The American Standpoint. 67 

If a rifle with a peep sight — and practically all of 
those which riflemen in this country have to deal with 
have peep sights — be brought to the shoulder and 
trained upon the target, it will be at once noticed that 
all three objects — front sight, rear sight and bullseye 
— cannot be seen clearly at the same time. If the eye 
be focussed on the rear sight, both the front sight and 
bullseye will be blurred. If the eye be focussed upon 
the bullseye so as to see it clearly, the rear sight will 
be blurred very much, and perhaps the front sight may 
blur a trifle, but not sufficient to make it indistinct. 
This is because the eye has to focus itself for each 
distance, and cannot maintain two focusses at once. 

But the rear sight does not have to be seen in sight- 
ing. The rear sight is put there for the purpose of 
indicating a certain point of alignment, and that point 
is in the centre of the aperture. Therefore, all that is 
necessary is to be certain that we see the top of the 
front sight through the centre of the aperture, and af- 
ter that we may disregard the rear sight. In Fig. 15 
I have shown approximately how the sights appear to 
me when I have a perfect aim. Notice how large the 
rear aperture appears, owing to its close proximity to 
the eye — a penny, held close enough to' the eye, will 
obscure the whole world. The aperture of the rear 
eight is not seen clearly, but the blurred outlines can 
still be appreciated, and the head moved about until 
the tip of the front sight is brought into the centre. 
Then the gun is moved until the top of the front sight 
just touches the lower edge of the bullseye, when the 
aim is considered to be perfect, as shown in Fig. 15. 

Some riflemen prefer to leave a little patch of white 
between the top of the front sight and the bullseye ; 
others aim at the white target at one side of the bull, 



68 Modern Rifle Shooting 

and still others select the top of the target frame to 
aim at. But whatever point is taken, it matters little 
so long as the same sight is taken at each shot. The 
method first described is the best one to learn, because 
it is the way one would use his rifle in actual service ; 
and most of our best shots shoot in that way at the 
target. 

If target sights are used, the rear sight will be used 
in the same way, but if the front sight is fitted with art 
aperture disc, it will be made to encircle the bull 
and the spirit level will aid at the same time in obviat- 
ing any tendency to cant the gun to either side. 

I believe it is a mistake to draw the tip of the front 
sight down into the bottom of the rear aperture, as 
some military riflemen do. (Fig. 16.) In this case, 
the light that is utilized is going not through a round 
hole as in Fig. 15, but through the space formed by 
the intersection of two circles, one circle being the 
edge of the aperture, and the other the outline of the 
pupil. In other words, by this method the eye is 
drawn down until the upper margin of the pupil al- 
most touches the lower edge of the aperture, and the 
aim is being taken through the narrow slit thus 
formed. The result is that nothing is seen so clearly 
as with the first method. 

Drawing the front sight into- either the right or left 
side of the aperture is an error too obvious to' require 
more than mention. Experienced riflemen soon learn 
to avoid it, as it causes shots to strike to the right or 
left. 

Canting the rifle to either the right or left is prob- 
ably the most common fault in aiming leading to lat- 
eral errors ; therefore the rifleman should closely watch- 
tor any tendency toward this fault. Like all errors, its- 



From The American Standpoint. 6p 

bad effects are most noticable at the long ranges. On a 
rifle fitted with target sights, the spirit level will of 
course immediately show the least canting of the gun ; 
but in using the military rifle it is necessary to acquire 
the habit of always holding the piece upright. There is 
one point, though, that I have found of great help in 
acquiring. this habit, and that is, to take advantage of 
any perpendicular object down the range — flag pole, 
or whatever it may happen to be. After the sights are 
fairly well aligned, if the head be moved a little to 
one side, the side of the rear sight leaf may be paral- 
leled with the perpendicular object; and this can be re- 
peated every shot until it is found unnecessary. Once 
the rifleman acquires the knack, it is surprising how 
habitually the sight leaf will parallel with perpendicu- 
lar objects. 



yo Modern Rifle Shooting 

CHAPTER VIII. ■ 
HELPS TO GOOD AIMING. 

There are certain little changes and improvements 
which the rifleman may find it profitable to make in his 
sights, the same as described in the chapter relating 
to selecting and improving the rifle. In the first place, 
the peep hole or V of the rear sight may be smaller 
than some shooters can do the best work with. On 
the Krag, the peep as issued is generally too small. It 
was just about right on the old 45 calibre Springfield 
(Buffington) sight. Before enlarging the hole, how- 
ever, it is a good plan to> borrow various other rifles 
on which the sights have been enlarged, so that you 
can form some idea of what size hole will suit your 
own eyes best; for some men do the best work with 
the very small aperture with which the sights are is- 
sued. If you find that you can aim better with a larger 
opening, the best way to enlarge it is by means of one 
of the small reamers used by watchmakers. These are 
generally tapered, and by passing one into the aper- 
ture you have found to be correct, and noting how far 
in it will go, you can ream your own sight to the same 
diameter if you are careful to run the reamer in to' the 
same distance. If the reamer leaves any burr on the 
edge of the hole, it should be removed by means of the 
rat-tail file. The reamer should be passed in such a 
direction that the (tapered) hole will be larger toward 
the target. 

If it is desired to enlarge the V, it is best to do it by 
means of the rat tail file. A U makes a far better notch 
to aim through than a V, and it should be kept as near 
to a semi-circle in shape as possible. 



From The American Standpoint. ji 

After these alterations, the sights should be removed 
from the rifle and the part that has been cut heated in 
the flame of a spirit lamp or bunsen burner until the 
glitter of the metal is replaced by the dark blue of 
oxidation. No one can do the best work with a rifle 
if the sights themselves show luminous surfaces or 
points, which send extraneous rays of light into the 
eye of the shooter. Both front and rear sight should 
therefore be as near a dull black as they can be made. 
For this purpose, a simple expedient consists in smok- 
ing the sights — both front and rear — and the most 
suitable material for furnishing the smoke is camphor. 
A small lump of this substance, carried in a primer 
box, furnishes a means when ignited of covering the 
sights with the most dead black coating that can be 
desired. 

The difficulty of igniting the camphor, when there 
is much wind blowing, and the liability of the cam- 
phor soot to be rubbed off, have led to the introduc- 
tion of various liquid preparations for blackening 
sights. Some of these are given in the appendix. No 
doubt some of our American riflemen will soon de- 
velop for themelves still better preparations of this 
character. All that is really necessary is a dead black 
paint that possesses very quick drying properties, and 
has sufficient body to blacken metal with one coat. 

Some British riflemen use a small dot of white on 
the front sight, but I do not believe this affords any 
advantage on our rifles. The British rifleman is 
forced into many artifices in the way of painting in 
black and white on his sights, because the British ser- 
vice rifle is not provided with a wind gauge and even 
its V is improperly aligned ; so the British rifleman 
turns his sight bar upsidedown, paints it black, and 



J 2 Modern Rifle Shooting 

then makes a white line over which he aims instead of 
using the V. By placing the white line to the right or 
left of center, the effect of a wind gauge is obtained. 
Good work can be done by this method, but let us 
thank the good Lord that we have an effective wind 
gauge on our rifles. 

The next point that requires looking after is to be 
certain that the sights are immovable when set for 
any given range. On the Krag sight the little steel 
plate containing the peep hole is often loose and free 
to move both vertically and laterally to a limited ex- 
tent, no matter how firmly the thumb screw is tight- 
ened ; and the jar of firing does actually move it, dif- 
ferently for each shot. Many a good rifle has been 
condemned when the trouble was with the sight. If 
you cannot remedy this defect yourself, take it to a 
gunsmith — but get it fixed somehow. 

The leaf itself sometimes wears loose at its joint 
with the sight base, although this is not likely to be 
the cause of much error owing to the strong spring 
which would tend to always push it into the same po- 
sition. But I have known of several cases where the 
whole sight base was loose on the barrel, and could not 
be tightened because the holes in the barrel were not 
deep enough for the screws. This can be remedied 
by taking out the screws, holding them in a vise with 
leather jaws, and filing off some of their length. An- 
other way is to insert a piece of paper between the bar- 
rel and the sight — or several pieces, if one is not thick 
enough. But this impairs the correctness of the 
graduations, which are none too correct to begin with. 

For delicate vertical adjustment of the rear sight, 
the various verniers and micrometers made for the 
purpose* are very useful. In Fig. 12 two kinds are 



From The American Standpoint. yj 

shown. One (a) is made in England, for the British 
service rifle, but it works well on our 1901 model 
sight also. The other, (b) was designed by H. M. 
Pope especially for use on our own sight. It is much 
lighter than the British instrument, being made of 
steel instead of brass, and has the further advantage 
that the rifle can be shot without taking it off if de- 
sired. Both forms can be applied to the sight or de- 
tached in a second. They have the advantage that 
the graduations are so spaced that each count is equal 
to one minute angle of elevation, which means 1 inch 
for each hundred yards of range. Thus, if the shots 
are grouping 30 inches low when shooting at 1000 
yards range, by raising the sight adjuster 3 points this 
will be exactly corrected. At 500 yards, each point 
equals 5 inches ; and so on. 

Once the correct windage and elevation are found, 
the sight should be firmly secured in place, so as not 
to be affected by the jar of firing. In military com- 
petitions, the rules will generally require that the sight 
adjuster be removed from the gun; but if Pope's is 
used, it may be left on until that time, greatly facili- 
tating the "sighting in" of the rifle. The slide can be 
made sufficiently tight by means of the thumb screw, 
but the cam provided for fastening the wind gauge 
can seldom be moved with sufficient power by the 
fingers alone. The head of a cartridge, however, en- 
ables one to apply much more power to it, and it is a 
good plan always to fasten it by that means. 

A sight adjuster for moving the wind gauge is still 
to be desired, but has not yet appeared on the Ameri- 
can market. A rifleman with some mechanical ability 
could readily convert one of the British adjusters to 
that purpose, but I do not know of its having been 



J4 Modern Rifle Shooting 

done up to this time. In using the sight adjuster, it is 
well to bear in mind that each point on the wind gauge 
is equal to about 6 points on the adjuster. 

Having by observing the foregoing details secured 
a perfect aim, there yet remains to be done what is for 
many persons the most difficult thing of all — pulling 
the trigger. How easy it sounds to say it ! Of course, 
any one can pull the trigger — but how many can do 
it in just the right way, and just at the right time? It 
matters not how perfect the aim, nor how careful the 
calculations, if that aim is not maintained at the mo- 
ment of pressing the trigger, — "it availeth nothing." 

There is in every human being the instinct to in- 
voluntarily brace one's muscles against the expected 
recoil. But this muscular contraction is very apt to 
anticipate the discharge of the gun, imparting to it a 
movement that totally destroys the aim. Even the 
best of rifle shots are at times affected by this tend- 
ency to "flinch," as it is called ; and the only way to 
overcome it is by constant practice and strong exer- 
tion of the will. The first step to learn is to pull the 
trigger steadily — not give it a jerk, as the tendency 
is with the novice. The pressure should be gradually 
increased by closing the hand, until sufficient force is 
applied to discharge the gun. Some military men pull 
with the middle finger, but I firmly believe that the 
index finger is far better, because it is capable of finer 
education. Whatever method is used, an important 
gain will be made by the novice when he feels able to 
"call his shots"— meaning that he knows where the 
sights were aiming at the instant of discharge ; and 
this can never be acquired while one is flinching. It 
is impossible to keep a record of what the rifle is doing 
until one learns to "call his shots." 



From The America7i Standpoint. 75 

Some advise that the pressure be applied to the trig- 
ger so gradually that the shooter will not know when 
the discharge will take place. Mr. Tippins called this 
an attempt to cheat a man's instinct rather than over- 
come it, and considers it bad advice ; and I agree with 
him. You cannot apply the pressure so gradually that 
the instinct will not learn in a few shots just what 
pressure will discharge the gun ; and the only way is 
to conquer the fault by sheer force of will, so that the 
rifle may be discharged without the aim being dis- 
turbed. Considerable practice may be had by snap- 
ping an empty rifle* at a small black spot across the 
room. Once the flinching is overcome in the off-hand 
position, it is not likely to be troublesome in the lying 
down positions. But, after all, success in this as in 
other things will only come by "keeping everlastingly 
at it." 



*Be sure the rifle is empty before you snap it. Don't think 
so, or take it for granted — open the action and look. More 
accidents happen with the "Didn't know it was loaded" weapon 
than with all others put together. 



y6 Modern Rifle Shooting 



CHAPTER IX. 
POSITIONS IN RIFLE FIRING. 

Rifle shooting is generally practiced in certain pre- 
scribed positions, depending on the distance. It is im- 
portant at the outset to acquire good positions for each 
range, for faulty ones are easier to learn than to un- 
learn. 

At 200 yards the offhand or standing position (Fig. 
17) is generally required, both in military and match 
rifle shooting. It is the most difficult one in which to 
hold steady, and requires the most practice to become 
expert in, so far as good holding alone is concerned. 

By the offhand position is meant standing, with 
neither the gun nor the body resting upon or against 
any artificial support. But it is not required that the 
shooter shall adopt the shotgun position, with the left 
hand fully or partly extended. The physique of some 
men makes this the easiest position for them, but oth- 
ers can do far better work with the left arm close to 
or against the body, and it is permissible and entirely 
within the rules for them to shoot in that way if they 
prefer it. 

The various illustrations which constitute Fig. 17 
show the various modifications of the offhand position 
used by different riflemen. Some are more graceful 
than others. Good scores, however, are not made by 
dainty posing, but by steady holding. Therefore, hav- 
ing by careful trial of all positions found that in which 
you can hold the rifle steadiest, even though it is a 
little less graceful than some other, don't let anyone 
induce you to change it. 



From The American Standpoint. jj 




fig. 17. 



78 



Modern Rifle Shooting 




FIG. 17. 



-From The American Standpoint. y<p 




fig. 17. 



?0 


Modern Rifle Shooting 






^s 


S^v ^V 




'^^s^f^l jy^BC- - i >--^^-^>m 




■■V. *$ss. 

IB \ 




..* _ •• ■ , : - ■ '• ' : ,<k 



FIG. 17. 



From The American Standpoint. Si 

Practice with the target or Schuetzen rifle is particu- 
larly valuable in acquiring skill in the offhand position. 
One who has become even a fair shot with the latter 
weapon can generally do surprisingly good work with 
the military rifle at 200 yards. The reason is that the 
Schuetzen rifleman has trained himself to hold for the 
center of the bullseye (See targets, Fig. 21) while the 
military shooter does not care whether it is the centre 
or the margin, so long as he hits the bull. It cannot 
be denied, however, that the importance of the offhand 
position is taking a secondary place to those adapted to 
long range work ; for although the quickest position 
to assume, and perhaps the most used in the battles of 
former times, the increasing importance of long range 
shooting is slowly forcing offhand practice into the 
background as viewed from the standpoint of military 
usefulness. Nevertheless, in many important matches 
there is a 200 yard stage, and for this reason it be- 
hooves the rifleman who aspires to honors in the sport 
to practice it steadily and earnestly, and I can confi- 
dently assert from personal experience with both mili- 
tary and target weapons that nothing so thoroughly 
developes one's skill in holding in the offhand position 
as practice with the Schuetzen rifle. 

Shooting at 300 yards may be regarded as distinct- 
ively military, for this distance is not used in any other 
branch of the sport. The nearest approach to it is the 
300 metre distance in vogue among a few of the Ger- 
man and Swiss shooting societies in Europe, but so far 
as I can learn it is not a popular range and is gradually 
giving way to those in more general use. But the 300 
yards range is decidedly important to the military rifle- 
man, for it is here that part of his qualification as 
marksman is earned. 



Modern Rifle Shooting 




fig. 17. 



From The American Standpoint. 8j 

At 300 yards the sitting and kneeling positions are 
prescribed in the National Rifle Association rules, al- 
though some states permit the use of the prone posi- 
tion at this distance in class practice. The sitting po- 
sition comes very easy, as a rule, to persons of slender 
build, but the stout rifleman generally has difficulty 
when he attempts it. It is much steadier than the 
kneeling position, once it is acquired ; but the kneeling 
position is much more easily and quickly taken, and for 
that reason should be practiced. The right knee should 
be about at right angles to the line of fire, and a boot 
with a strong thick sole enables the rifleman to adopt 
what is really a partly sitting position, using his right 
shoe for a seat. Keep the left foot well forward, so 
that the left leg and forearm may form a nearly verti- 
cal column, which is most suitable for steady support. 

The sitting position depends so much on one's phy- 
sique, that more can be learned by studying the illus- 
trations (Fig. 18) and practicing by snapping the 
empty rifle in various modifications that feel comfort- 
able to the rifleman, than by any description I can 
give. I myself am not of stout build, but I never yet 
have been able to get into a sitting position in which 
I could do work satisfactory to me ; and yet some rifle- 
men take to it like a duck takes to water. There are 
not many matches in our annual competitions in which 
shooting is done at 300 yards, but it should neverthe- 
less be practiced ; for lack of familiarity with the 
necessary positions is liable to result in a most morti- 
fying score at a critical time, as the bullseye is smaller 
in proportion to the range than at any other distance 
the rifleman is called upon to shoot. 



8 4 




Modern Rifle Shooting 




From The American Standpoint. 



85 




86 



Modem Rifle Shooting 





From The American Standpoint. 8j 

The Prone position (Fig. 19) is perhaps the most 
popular of all — certainly so for military rifles. It is 
permitted at all ranges of 500 yards and over, and the 
majority of military riflemen use it even at the longest 
ranges. Therefore, it will well repay the novice to de- 
vote considerable time and attention to attaining a 
good prone position. The body should not lie in a di- 
rect line with the target, but the legs should be thrown 
to the left and stretched comfortably apart ; most ex- 
perienced shots lie at an angle of about 45 degrees with 
the line of fire. Also, keep your rifle and all parts of 
your body as close to the ground as possible. Hold 
the rifle firmly with the left hand, which should be as 
far forward as comfortable, with the sling strap loop 
slipped two-thirds of the way toward the shoulder from 
'the elbow. On the Krag, the sling should be fastened for 
the prone position to the front and middle swivels, and 
both ends of the loop should pass around the forearm 
just back of the wrist. The length of strap which it is 
necessary to let out in order to do this will vary some 
in individual cases, and new holes will perhaps have to 
be cut in the strap for the hook. The average man re- 
quires the hook for prone shooting to be inserted about 
7 inches from the end of the strap, but long or stout 
arms will require greater length. Using the strap is a 
great help to steadiness in this position, although the 
novice may not at first appreciate it. It requires some 
little practice and some adjustment before all the bene- 
fits of the sling can be felt. Hold the rifle firmly against 
the muscles of the shoulder, and not against the collar 
bone. With the 45 calibres, as one becomes bruised 
from the recoil, there is strong temptation to "dis- 
tribute the agony" as one rifleman expressed it, by ap- 
plying the butt to a different part at each shot. This 



Modern Rifle Shooting 




From The American Standpoint. 89 

leads to irregular shooting. With the 30 calibres the 
recoil is not severe enough to cause trouble of this 
kind, and with the older weapon it is better, until the 
shoulder becomes toughened to the work, to sew a 
layer of thick felt inside of the clothing where the butt 
of the rifle is held. 

The great point in acquiring a perfect prone posi- 
tion is to find one that is low and comfortable, so that 
one does not have to shift about continually. Other 
details which conduce to comfort are the finding of a 
soft spot on which to rest the elbows, avoiding any 
slippery material like a rubber blanket, very little slip 
of the elbow being sufficient to score a clean miss. 
Equally to be avoided as elbow rests are the rough 
rope mats in use on some ranges — the elbows will get 
sore enough at first without rasping them on a rough 
surface. Then again, much unnecessary reaching and 
moving about can be avoided if the rifleman will, be- 
fore lying down, so dispose of his outfit that every- 
thing is within easy reach. Try to find an arrange- 
ment that is convenient, and then always follow it sys- 
tematically. 

The various back positions are permitted at ranges 
of 800 yards and over. They are undoubtedly the 
steadiest of all, and most of the long range match 
rifles are shot in that way (Fig. 20, a). The Krag 
can also be shot in this way, but if used with military 
sights the rear sight is too- far away from the eye for 
comfort. With target sights it is all right. A par- 
ticularly comfortable and steady position for the mili- 
tary rifle is that known as the Texas Grip (Fig. 20. 
b). The old 45 calibre Springfield is well adapted to 
this position, and in it can be manipulated with an as- 
tonishing degree of accuracy and rapidity. The Krag, 



9° 



Modem Rifle Shooting 







' 



From The American Standpoint. 



however, does not fit the Texas grip position so well. 
Its bolt handle is in the way, and it has always seemed 
to me that it does not shoot as accurately this way as 
it does in the prone position, probably because of in- 
terference with the flip of the barrel. Nevertheless, 
some riflemen use this position by preference even 
with the Krag. Besides being steadier, it brings the 
left arm in such a position that it acts as a pillow for 
the head, relieving all strain upon the muscles of the 
neck, so noticeable in the long range back position. It 
also causes the sling strap to take up all of the recoil, 
transferring it to- the thigh, where recoil is unnotice- 
able. 




Modern Rifle Shooting 





STANDARD AMERICAN TARGET. 



The present dimensions of the Standard American 
target are as follows : — 

DIAMETER OP CIRCLES. WIDTH OF RINGS. 

10 circle, 3.36 inches 

9, 1.09 inches. 
8, 1.23 
7, 1.50 
6, 1.90 
5, 2.44 
4, 3.16 
3, 4.11 
2, 5.89 
1 Balance of target, 4x6 feet. 

The 8, 9, and 10 comprise the Creedmoor bullseye; 
4> 5, 6, 7 the centre, counting 4; 2 and 3 the Creed- 
moor inner, counting 3. The 1 same as the outer, 
counting 2. 



9 


5.54 


8 


8 


7 


' 11 


6 


' 14.80 


5 


' 19.68 


4 


' 26 


3 


' 34.22 


2 


' 46 




GERMAN RING TARGET. 



FIG. 21. 



From The American Standpoint. pj 

CHAPTER X. 
TARGETS IN GENERAL USE. 

Many targets have been devised since the advent of 
rifled firearms, but fortunately few of them have sur- 
vived. I say fortunately, for the most desirable thing 
about any target is that it shall represent some stand- 
ard design that is uniformly used by shooters through- 
out the country, and at standard distances. For only 
in this way can skill with the rifle be compared, and 
a record kept of the performances of different rifle- 
men at different times and places. 

At the present time, the Standard American and 
the German Ring targets (Fig. 21) are by far the 
most commonly used by the 200 yard civilian rifle- 
men; although, in some of the German American 
shooting festivals some other designs are introduced 
for variety. The Standard American has the advan- 
tage that its 2, 3, 4 and 8 rings coincide with the 2, 
3, 4 and 5 rings on the National Rifle Association 
military target for use at the same distance, and there- 
fore the same target can, if desired, be used for both 
military and match rifle shooting at 200 yards. But 
the match rifle shooters generally prefer to extend the 
bullseye so as to include the 7 ring, which military 
men object to, and therefore separate sets of targets 
are run for each style of shooting, as a rule. There 
can be no objection to thus enlarging the black, how- 
ever, as the dimensions of the circles (on which the 
value of the shots is based) remain unaltered. Some 
riflemen prefer the 8 inch black for both kinds of shoot- 
ing, but there are some with poor eyesight who find 
the 11-inch bullseye easier to shoot at. The diameters 
of the various rings are given under the illustration. 



94 



Modern Rifle Shooting 



3 



First-class, 6x12 feet. 
Bullseye, circular, 36 inches in diameter. 
Centre, " 54 " " 

Inner, square, 6x6 feet. 
Outer, remainder of target. 





Second-class, 6x6 ft. Third-class, 6x4 ft. 

Bullseye, circular, 22 ins. in diam. Bullseye, circular, 8 ins. in diam. 
Centre, " 38 " " Centre, " 26 " 

Inner, " 54 " " Inner, " 46 " 

Outer, remainder of target. Outer, remainder of target. 

NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION MILITARY TARGETS. 



FIG. 22. 



From The American Standpoint. 



95 



Fig.l 





Fig.Z 




FROM BLUNTS MANUAL. 
FIG. 23. 



Targets for military use have undergone several 
changes in the past 25 years. At present the National 
Rifle Association targets (Fig. 22) are in the most 
general use, although the eliptical Blunt target is still 
used to a limited extent. For skirmish firing, the 
silhouette targets (Fig. 23), consisting o5 3 silhouette 
figures representing a standing, kneeling and lving 
man, are used. 

It is to be hoped that the National Rifle Association 
will be able to bring about more uniformity still in the 
targets used in various parts of the country. The N. 
R. A. targets (Fig. 22) certainly fulfill all require- 
ments for military match shooting. The 1st class is 
for distances of 800 to 1000 yards, the 2nd class for 
500 and 600, the 3rd class for 200 and 300. 



9 6 



Modem Rifle Shooting 





TARGET G. 

COMPANY SKIRMISH FIRING. 



IJHMHHHIttttttt 



"* - v - "^ :■ TARGET H. 

COMPANY FILE FIRING. 
FROM BLUNT' S MANUAL. 
FIG. 23. 

In my opinion, the skirmish targets defeat the ob- 
ject for which they were designed by reason of their 
color. We are never likely to be called upon to fight 
negroes in black uniform, and therefore the practice 
in skirmish firing, teaching men to estimate distance 
by the appearance of these black silhouette figures, is 
sure to inculcate false ideas. And it is always harder 
to unlearn a false idea than to learn a correct one in 
the beginning. All armies of the future are likely to 
wear khaki uniforms, and for that reason the silhou- 
ette targets should be so painted as to correspond 
therewith in color. This, too, would give the oppor- 
tunity of forming an idea of the merits and demerits 
of the various telescopic sights and similar appliances, 
which cannot be done when the shooting is carried on 
at black objects outlined against a white background. 




Fro7?i The American Standpoint. gy 

I have cut this description of targets rather short, 
for the reason that I do not believe it will profit the 
novice to read detailed descriptions of the various lit- 
tle used or discarded ones. To those so inclined, I 
can refer to Mr. A. C. Gould's book, "Modern Ameri- 
can Rifles," which goes into the matter of targets very 
thoroughly. What we want at present is more rifle- 
men to shoot at the targets we have ; and anyone who 
endeavors to foist upon us new target designs I always 
feel inclined to regard almost as a malefactor. 



9 8 



Modern Rifle Shooting 




A. .30 CAL. U. S. GOVERNMENT CARTRIDGE. 






B. .30 CAL. NEW SPRINGFIELD CARTRIDGE. 




C. .32-40 CARTRIDGE. 




D - -38-55 CARTRIDGE. 



£. .32 IDEAL CARTRIDGE. 




F. .45-70 CARTRIDGE. 
FIG. 24. CARTRIDGES OF SPECIAL INTEREST. 



From The American Standpoint. pp 



CHAPTER XL 



AMMUNITION. 

It can hardly profit the novice to rehearse the enor- 
mous strides that have been made during the past 50 
years in the development of ammunition. In its pres- 
ent form, the metallic cartridge probably represents 
as near a perfect type as can be hoped or desired. 

The modern rifleman will have the choice of two 
kinds of ammunition, the strictly modern, using metal 
jacketed bullets and smokeless powder sufficient to de- 
velop very high velocities, and the familiar black pow- 
der and lead bullet cartridge — the latter, however, cap- 
able of being modernized to a certain extent by the 
use of suitable smokeless powder. 

For target rifles intended chiefly for 200 yard shoot- 
ing, the old style of ammunition is in some ways pre- 
ferable. It is much cheaper to reload, not only be- 
cause black powder is cheaper, but also because the 
common lead (or lead and tin) bullets used can be 
moulded by the rifleman himself, at a cost of approxi- 
mately 5 cents a pound; while the high power jack- 
eted bullets must be bought, and they are the most 
expensive item in modern long range ammunition. 

The cartridges (Fig. 24) best adapted to the Schuet- 
zen rifle are the 32-40, (c,) 38-55. (d), and 32 Ideal 
(e). All of these are extremely accurate, and can be 
reloaded by the rifleman many times ; so that the cost 
of the most expensive part of a cartridge — its brass 
case — is eliminated. In loading cartridges for this 



LofC. 



100 Modern Rifle Shooting 

kind of shooting, the most expert' shots always put 
only powder into the shell ; a blotting paper wad is suf- 
ficient to hold it in place, and the shell can be filial to 
its mouth with powder. The bullet is seated in the 
rifling separately, either by means of a special tool 
made for the purpose by the Ideal Manufacturing 
Co., New Haven, Conn., or in the case of the finest 
Pope barrels the bullet is pushed down from the muz- 
zle into a position just ahead of the chamber. The 
finest shooting of all is done by the latter method, for 
not only is the advantage gained of having the bullet 
already in the rifling when the explosion takes place, 
but the seating of the bullet from the muzzle practi- 
cally cleans out all fouling, or at least pushes it be- 
hind the bullet where it does no harm. 

The shells should be decapped as soon as possible 
after firing, and then cleaned by means of the solution 
whose formula is given in the appendix. 

The most popular powders for Schuetzen rifles are, 
the L. & R. Orange Rifle, Hazard's FG, and King's 
Semi-smokeless FG. With the ordinary factory bar- 
rel, however, the L. & R. "Sharpshooter" Smokeless 
gives as great accuracy as either of the others, and 
has the advantage of being smokeless and developing 
only about half the recoil. 

The moulding of bullets, as well as other details of 
loading these cartridges, are well explained in a small 
book entitled the "Ideal Hand Book," which is really 
the catalogue of the Ideal Mfg. Co. ; this company 
makes all kinds of loading tools and other useful arti- 
cles for the rifleman, and it will well repay the novice 
to send and obtain a copy of it. 

The 45-70 cartridge (Fig. 24, f) is still widely 
used in military arms, although it is to be hoped that 



From The American Standpoint. 101 

before long it will be entirely superseded by a single 
standard cartridge. For target shooting up to 600 
yards, however, it is still nearly capable of holding its 
own against the newer ammunition, although the rapid 
development of the latter is gradually crowding it out 
in target competitions. Very great improvement can 
be made in the shooting of this cartridge if the rifle- 
man is permitted to load it for himself. The bullet 
does the best work if it is made of 1 part tin to 16 
parts lead, and lubricated with a reasonably soft lubri- 
cant. The faults with the factory cartridge are gen- 
erally too soft a bullet, too hard a lubricant, uneven 
distribution or even omission of the lubricant; and 
often so much powder is crowded into the shell that in 
order to seat the bullet and crimp the shell the pow- 
der is crushed almost into a solid cake. Mere mention 
of these faults will put the rifleman on his guard to 
avoid them. The shell, too, is generally crimped far 
tighter than necessary, and very little if any crimping 
should be employed for target shooting, unless re- 
cmired by the rules of the competition — and then just 
as little as will pass inspection. It is always a good 
plan, before investing heavily in a supply of factory 
ammunition, to cut open a few sample cartridges and 
look for these defects. 

The same powders recommended for Schuetzen car- 
tridges will also be of service here. But, with a prop- 
erly fitting bullet,* the "Sharpshooter Smokeless" is 

*When using '"Sharpshooter," or in fact any smokeless pow- 
der behind a lead bullet, it is imperative that the bullet be of 
sufficient size to fit the barrel to the bottom of the rifling. 
Otherwise the escape of the hot gas past it will melt and de- 
form the bullet, and render accurate shooting impossible. The 
U. M. C. Co. make a bullet of the proper size for the .45 calibre 
when using "Sharpshooter" powder, and also furnish it in 
complete cartridges. The diameter should be .460 inches. 



102 Modem Rifle Shooting 

far ahead of all others for this cartridge. It developes 
less chamber pressure for the same velocity, is smoke- 
less, and its recoil so noticeably less that it enables the 
rifleman to make a much better score. It also, by its 
smokeless qualities, gives the soldier armed with what 
our President has so aptly termed the "archaic weap- 
on" some 'slight chance in a fight with troops armed 
with the newer weapon. 20 grains of "Sharpshooter 
Smokeless" is the amount necessary to develop the 
standard velocity. 

Turning now to the high power cartridge, we find 
that the long, jacketed bullet is what gives it its chief 
characteristics, because while it would be possible to 
put powder enough behind the ordinary bullet to drive 
it at the same velocity, the lead alloy is not hard and 
tough enough to hold on to the rifling — it will strip. 
The powder, too, is of a special grade, best adapted 
to imparting the high velocity without excessive pres- 
sures, and the bullet, being long and heavy for its 
diameter, maintains its velocity well. But it takes a 
large charge, even of smokeless powder, to develop 
2000 or more feet per second velocity, and for that 
reason these cartridges are as a rule made with a large 
powder chamber — are bottle necked. 

The particular high power cartridge which has been 
developed to the highest degree in this country is the 
30-40. (Fig. 24, a). It is the cartridge that is adapt- 
ed to the Krag, and for that reason is known as the 30 
cal. U. S. Government cartridge. The first American 
ammunition of this character, in common with other 
sizes of high power ammunition, was simply abomin- 
able. But great improvements have been made in this 
cartridge, especially within the past year, which place 
it in the lead of all of the high power type made in 
America. 



From The American Standpoint. 103 

The changes which have brought about this recent 
improvement have chiefly been in the bullet. The powder 
that was found best in the beginning still remains far 
in the lead, and appears to be as nearly perfect as any- 
one can reasonably ask. I refer to the " W. A. 30 cal." 
powder, as now made in tubular grain by the L. & R. 
Powder Co. There really is no choice for us Ameri- 
cans but to use this powder, for no other product — 
American or foreign — has so far found its way 
into the market that can hold a candle to it 
for accuracy and all around good qualities. 
The Cordite, so highly extolled for use in 
the British rifle, gives poor accuracy in ours, and 
leaves its usual corrosive residue. The other foreign 
powders either do not give anything like the accuracy 
the "W. A." does, or are totally unfitted for use in the 
Krag by reason of the excessive pressures developed. 
The chief objection to other American powders that 
have so far appeared has been the large amount of 
fouling left in the gun, packing down into the grooves 
and destroying all accuracy. This does not happen 
with the "W. A." and the rifle shoots with as good ac- 
curacy after 100 rounds have been fired as it does 
after 5. 

The secret, then, of good shooting ammunition for 
the American rifle of 30-40 calibre is to obtain good 
bullets. Good powder, shells and primers can be ob- 
tained in any amount. But until the summer of 1902 
we were unable to procure good bullets, and, in fact, 
were not even certain until then that the chief source 
of our trouble was in the bullets. At that time, with 
an important international match on hand and none of 
our ammunition giving really satisfactory results at the 
long ranges, I wrote an appealing letter to M r . W. M. 



104 Modern Rifle Shooting 

Thomas, the ballistic expert of the Union Metallic 
Cartridge Co., telling him of our troubles, and how 
we had experimented with everything else, but that it 
took a cartridge factory to conduct experiments in the 
production of metal jacketed bullets. Mr. Thomas 
agreed to help, and the result of his efforts was the 
production of the first really satisfactory bullet of this 
character we have had. 

This bullet, which is known as the Thomas' bullet 
among riflemen, is perfectly smooth, without any cane- 
lures for lubricant* or crimp. It has a well formed 
base, which is not concaved, and the metal jacket at the 
base is turned in quite sharply, so as to form almost a 
square edge. Mr. Thomas's attention having been 
called to the fact that nearly all the rifles we had to 
shoot with were above the standard diameter (.308 
inch to the bottom of grooves) while all of the bullets 
were smaller in diameter than the standard, grati- 
fied us by making the new bullet to a standard of .3085 
inch. The shape was altered slightly, and some other 
changes made in the process of manufacture, the na- 
ture of which I am unable to state ; but the advent of 



*When we first began to shoot with the high power rifle, 
the urgent need of a lubricant to prevent the hard jacket from 
wearing out the barrel so rapidly appealed to all riflemen. The 
need is as great now as ever, but the difficulty is that a hydro- 
carbon lubricant applied to a high power bullet does not lubri- 
cate. For, owing to the high temperatures developed, the 
lubricant undergoes chemical disorganization — is split up into 
its constituent elements, carbon and hydrogen. The hydro- 
gen being a gas, escapes, leaving the carbon behind ; and car- 
bon, far from being a lubricant, only adds to the fouling of 
the gun. 

Therefore we have totally discarded the use of lubricant 
on high-power bullets, and never use it except when compelled 
to shoot with the ammunition of government manufacture, 
which has Japan wax and graphite applied to the bullet, not 
so much for lubrication as for water-proofing. 



From The Anwican Standpoint. 105 

the new bullet marked a new era in our long range 
shooting, for the misses became infrequent even at 
the longest ranges and the scores suddenly jumped to 
a standard that had never before been reached except 
with match rifles. 

Since the success of the new bullet has become so 
evident, other manufacturers have made earnest efforts 
to improve their product. The new smooth Winches- 
ter bullets are a distinct advance, and the latest smooth 
bullets being manufactured at Frankford Arsenal are 
said by some riflemen to be very near perfection. 
Time and the experience of the shooting fraternity will 
doubtless result in the selection of the best of these 
for common use, but a majority of the riflemen with 
whom I have conversed on the subject say they are 
"well satisfied with the Thomas," and "not likely to 
change unless someone else proves that a better bul- 
let can be had." And we must not forget that the 
American rifleman owes a debt of gratitude to the 
Union Metallic Cartridge Co. and its skillful em- 
ployee in coming to our aid at a time when we were 
really in a bad predicament. 

What are the requirements of a good bullet? I 
hear someone say, "It must shoot straight" ; but that 
is begging the question. It is true that some bullets 
that appear perfect to a casual examination may fail 
signally at the target, but there are some indications 
that are useful in making a selection. 

It may be assumed that the cartridge company or 
arsenal will select the material and alloys which it be- 
lieves to be best suited for the purpose. This being 
so, the first thing the rifleman should investigate is the 
diameter of the bullets, both as to uniformity and 
adaptability to his particular rifle. Any batch of bul- 



io6 Modem Rifle Shooting 

lets that shows a variation of more than .0002 or .0003 
inch should be rejected, for more triform lots can be 
obtained. If one's rifle calibrates .3085 or .309, (and 
there are lots of them that are even much larger), he 
should search for bullets that approach more nearly to 
the calibre of his rifle. It is better to have, the bullets 
a little too tight than too loose, for reasons already 
mentioned. These measurements are to be made by 
means of a good micrometer, and with great care. 
Next, examine the base. It should be perfectly form- 
ed, and the long axis of the bullet should be perpendic- 
ular to it. Opinions vary as to whether the base 
should be rounded or not, some claiming that it 
weakens the jacket to turn it in too sharply. It prob- 
ably matters little, so long as it is of such shape that, 
at the instant of issuing from the barrel, the powder 
gases are not allowed to escape sooner or faster on one 
side of the base than on the other. This is an extreme- 
ly critical time in the discharge of a rifle, and it is 
probable that more than half of the trouble with un- 
satisfactory bullets originates at this point ; for the gas 
escaping more on one side than the other drives the 
base of the bullet with great violence toward the op- 
posite side. This is called imperfect delivery, and we 
must have perfect delivery to get accuracy. 

Having calibrated the bullets, next weigh a number 
of them. A difference of a grain either way from the 
standard will not matter, but if they show a greater 
difference than this it is best to look for a better lot. 
It is not that slight differences in weight are liable in 
themselves to cause trouble, the difficulty is that bul- 
lets showing these differences are liable to contain air 
bubbles and an air bubble is seldom accommodating 
enough to occupy the center of the bullet. If it is on 



From The American Standpoint. 10/ 

one side, it will make the bullet lighter on that side 
than on the other; and instead of spinning on its axis, 
the bullet will in its flight spin on its false centre of 
gravity. The result will be a wobbly or "corkscrew" 
flight, and inaccurate shooting. 

The best shells to use are those of Government 
make, from the Frankford arsenal, if they are obtain- 
able. They seem to be of a more suitable grade of 
brass than those of private make, probably owing to a 
higher percentage of copper or better anneal- 
ing. If primers made without fulminate of 
mercury are used, the shells can be reloaded 
from 12 to 20 times before they give out. In 
some cases they may have to be resized at the neck so 
as to hold the bullets firmly, but ordinarily this will 
not be necessary. The tendency of the bullet to' slip 
down into the powder chamber of shells that are en- 
larged from firing can be overcome by the use of the 
Ideal shell indentor, and in fact all the necessary load- 
ing and reloading implements can be obtained from 
that concern. Shells after firing should be decapped 
and washed in the cleaning solution as recommended 
(see appendix) for black powder shells, unless they 
are to be fired again within two or three days at the 
most. In that case the washing can be dispensed 
with, but any powder will deteriorate if kept long in 
contact with the residue of. previous charges. 

There are two makes of primers now obtainable 
without fulminate of mercury in them. One is the 9% 
U. M. C, and the other is the H. .48 primer made by 
the Frankford Arsenal. They require a somewhat 
heavier blow to explode them than the ordinary 
primer, but if the rifleman contemplates using either 
the Krag or the Remington-Lee he need not worry 



108 Modern Rifle Shooting 

about that, as the blow delivered by the firing bolt of 
either of these is very powerful. 

It is difficult to measure "W. A." powder accurately 
by any of the devices used with black powder; and as 
it is several times as strong as black powder, it is gen- 
erally believed that slight variations have great effect. 
The best plan, therefore, when great regularity is es- 
sential (as in long range shooting) is to weigh each 
charge separately. A form of scales which answers 
well enough for this purpose is that known as the U. 
S. Army apothecary scales. It can be obtained from 
Eimer and Amend, wholesale druggists, Cor. 18th St. 
and 3rd Ave., New York City, for about $3.50. 

For mid range shooting the cartridges can be 
loaded with sufficient uniformity by carefully dipping 
the charge by the aid of the scoop furnished with the 
loading set, or better still by means of the Ideal pow- 
der measure of special design made to handle "W. A.'' 
powder, 36 grains is the charge that gives the greatest 
accuracy, although it gives about 2100 foot seconds 
velocity. 

In any case, the scales are almost a necessity, in or- 
der to determine accurately how much your measure 
or scoop is actually delivering ; for they do not always 
do as one expects, and when we are dealing with high 
explosives it is best to be careful. 

While I desire to emphasize the importance of the 
novice learning to prepare his own ammunition as 
soon as possible, I believe it would be unprofitable to 
go into minute details of loading which can as readily 
be learned from the instructions that accompany the 
loading tools. Hand loaded ammunition, prepared by 
the rifleman himself, is always more satisfactory than 
factory loaded. When you shoot ammunition you 



From The American Standpoint. iog 

have loaded yourself, you know what is in it ; when 
you shoot somebody else's loading, you only know 
what you hope is in it. Besides this, it is instructive 
to attend to all these small things yourself ; it im- 
presses upon the mind the importance of that close 
attention to details, on which we have been harping all 
through this book. 

The new 30 cal. Springfield shortly to be brought 
out will use the cartridge illustrated in Fig. 24 b. The 
relative size of the present and the new government 
shell can be seen at a glance from this picture, as 
both cartridges were photographed at once, side by 
side. The new cartridge develops a velocity of 2300 
feet per second, as against a standard of 2000 for the 
30-40. Whether it will show any increase in accuracy 
remains to be seen. It is probable that the new rifle 
will shoot better, however, for besides the improve- 
ments in breech mechanism its rifling is to have a pitch 
of 1 turn in 8 inches, as against 1 turn in 10 for the 
Krag. 

Numerous tests by riflemen have shown that the 10 
inch twist of the Krag is insufficient to always carry 
the bullet steady and point on at the long ranges. When 
the tipped shots occur, they are likely to miss the tar- 
get completely; and this is undoubtedly the most fre- 
quent cause of the unaccountable wild shots on good 
holds, that still occur occasionally — though, fortunate- 
ly, not nearly so frequently as before we had good 
bullets. I have had a barrel with an 8 inch twist 
fitted to my Krag, and it seems to entirely remedy the 
wobbling tendency of bullets at the long range. 

This, difficulty in the standard Krag can be over- 
come by using a 200 instead of a 220 grain bullet. But 
the shorter bullet, while giving: greater accuracv in 



no Modem Rifle Shooting 

fine weather, is much more affected by wind, so that 
even with the occasional "unaccountable" most rifle- 
men prefer to use the 220 grain bullet. The possibil- 
ities of the 200 grain should be remembered, however, 
for should an exceptionally quiet day occur he who 
shoots it would have a great advantage over one pro- 
vided with only the service bullet. 

REDUCED LOADS. 

There will undoubtedly arise numerous occasions 
where one desires to shoot with the Krag or other 
high power rifle of the same calibre, but where the 
great energy of its charge would render its use dan- 
gerous or impracticable. The use of the rifle for riot 
service, and for indoor armory practice, may be cited 
as examples. Then again there are numerous military 
organizations who do a great deal of practice at 200 
yards, reloading their own ammunition for the sake 
of cheapness — who must do so to keep within their 
allowance — and to whom the cost of high power am- 
munition would be prohibitive. To overcome these 
difficulties I, in common with several other riflemen, 
have done some experimenting with a view to pro- 
ducing a reduced load cartridge in which a home- 
made cast bullet could be used, and which, while being 
accurate at reduced ranges would still be very cheap 
and capable of being reloaded many times. 

For miniature charges to be used in the gallery, at 
distances under 100 yards, there are numerous bullets 
that can be used successfully. As usual with smoke- 
less powders, the bullet must fit the rifling to the bot- 
tom of the grooves. The cast bullets must be lubri- 
cated, but great care is required to keep the base of 
the bullets clean, for most smokeless powders are af- 
fected very badly by grease. The following bullets 



F?-om The American Standpoint. 



have been used successfully by various riflemen for 
miniature charges : The 32 Smith & Wesson revol- 
ver bullet, of 85 grains weight ; the 30 Savage minia- 
ture, of 100 grains weight; the 125 grain Kephart bul- 
let; and the round ball. In using the lighter bullets, 
especially the round bah, it is essential that the powder 
charge shall be small if good accuracy is to be obtain- 
ed. Three to five grains of "Infallible," with any of 
the bullets mentioned, make a good gallery load. 

Moulds for these bullets can be obtained from the 
Ideal Mfg. Co. previously referred to. Some rifle- 
men have even had success with buck shot of suitable 
size, and it can undoubtedly be made to shoot well at 
very short ranges and with a very light powder charge ; 
it has the advantage of doing away with bullet mak- 
ing, which many regard as an irksome job. But as a 
rule better results can be obtained from moulded bul- 
lets, because the lead used to cast them can be hard- 
ened to the required degree by the addition of tin in 
the proportion of from 5 to 10 per cent. The buck 
shot should be about .313-in. diameter, and not forced 
down into the shell, but stuck in the mouth of shell by 
a light blow from a mallet. When it is desired to pro- 
duce a cast bullet that will shoot well at longer dis- 
tances in the Krag — say up to 200 yards — many diffi- 
culties are encountered. These, however, have been 
overcome in a great measure by riflemen of an experi- 
mental turn of mind, and without going into details 
concerning the difficulties encountered in the work, I 
would say that good results can be obtained up to that 
distance by the use of the 125 grain Kephart (which 
is rather light for so long a distance), the 175 grain 
Ideal bullet No. 308223, designed by the writer, and 
the 150 grain 32 Remington (Ideal bullet No. 30815). 



112 Modem Rifle Shooting 

Perhaps the best results so far as accuracy is concern- 
ed can be obtained from the last, but in loading it one 
or two of the grooves containing lubricant must be 
left projecting from the shell, which is objectionable 
from a military standpoint. My bullet was designed 
with other requirements as well as accuracy in view, 
although it has turned out to be surprisingly accurate 
in the hands of some riflemen. But military riflemen 
generally prefer it because the grooves containing the 
lubricant are covered by the shell, making a clean cart- 
ridge to handle, and because cartridges made up with 
it are sufficiently like the service cartridge in shape 
and outside dimensions to feed freely through the 
magazine. 

To get the best results from these bullets, it is 
necessary to harden them by the addition of 15 per 
cent, of antimony. Antimony is used instead of tin, 
because tin reduces the melting point of the alloy too 
much. This makes a very hard bullet, which will stand 
being driven with a velocity as high as 1200 or 1300 
feet per second. 

The powder charges which have given me the best 
results with these medium-power loads are, 8 grains 
"Infallible" shotgun, 9 grains "Sharpshooter'' smoke- 
less, and 12 grains Dupont No. 2 rifle, all by weight. 
The last is easier to measure, but with it the slightest 
trace of grease will cause erratic shooting, and the 
shells must be thoroughly cleaned ; while the other two 
powders can be used successfully even in dirty shells, 
if not allowed to stand more than a few days before 
being fired. 

On the whole, I believe these medium-powder loads 
are the best ones to use for armory shooting; for they 
are not too powerful for use on the usual armory 



From The American Standpoint. 



"3 



range — which according to my observation is general- 
ly from 50 to 100 yards in length. Being on hand for 
this purpose, they would be available in case of a sud- 
den call for riot service, and in my opinion are better 
adapted to such work than the miniature charges, 
which would be useless beyond a very short distance. 
It would really appear a necessity that a supply of 
some such ammunition be kept on hand if our militia 
forces are to be armed with rifles taking the 30 cali- 
bre cartridge, for the great range and penetration of 
the service ammunition would work such havoc to in- 
nocent persons if fired in a thickly settled community 
as to practically prohibt its use. 




MINKKS ASSAY SCALES. 



250 by 1-10 grains indicated on the beam. No weights required. Arranged 
with leveling screw and spirit level. Packed in fine walnut case. 

No. Price. 

3054 Without Case $ 7.00 

3056 With Case 10.00 



114 Modern Rifle Shooting 

CHAPTER XII. 

THE RIFLEMAN HIMSELF. 

After all, the personal equation in rifle shooting is 
what is most important, if one of the links of a chain 
can be said to be more important than another. There- 
fore I have thought it might not come amiss to say a 
few words about what conduces to develop good 
shooting ability, in so far as my observation has gone. 

There are certain individuals who seem to have 
born in them a special aptitude for accurate work with 
the rifle, and who require little training or instruction 
to grasp the whole subject and to keep in trim. These 
of course will naturally progress much faster than 
what one may term the average person. Then there 
are others who seem never to be able to shoot well, no 
matter how hard they try to learn. But the great ma- 
jority belong to the intermediate class, and any of 
them can learn, with perseverance and well directed 
practice, to become at least fair shots. 

Much has been said about the ability to shoot well 
being due to "strong nerves" — whatever that may 
mean. Riflemen often refer to an anticipated day's 
shooting by saying they are "going to try their nerve." 
According to my observation as a physician, however, 
nerve has little to do with it. I have had expert rifle- 
men under my care suffering from pronounced neuras- 
thenia — the very word means weak nerves — and they 
could even during the height of their disorder shoot 
almost if not quite as well as when they were in good 
health. We really do not know exactly what physical 
element it is that is the chief factor in making one an 
expert rifleman, but I am inclined to think it is a cer- 
tain education or development of co-ordination more 
than anything else. 



From The American Standpoint. iij 

There is nevertheless a great advantage in this, as 
in other sports, in keeping one's self in the best possi- 
ble health. Excesses of all kinds should be avoided, 
and moderate exercise in the open air, if one's occu- 
pation is of a sedentary nature, is beneficial in main- 
taining normal and regular bodily function. One need 
not have great muscular power to shoot a rifle — there 
are many expert shots of delicate physique, and there 
are others equally expert built like a Sampson. Indi- 
gestion and constipation should receive appropriate 
treatment at the hands of a qualified physician, and 
any other disorders that are in the least degree appre- 
ciable should receive skilled attention. This will at 
least put the novice in a position where he will not 
start with a handicap. 

The use of tobacco and alcohol is a subject in itself. 
I believe that smoking to excess is detrimental to good 
shooting, although there are many good shots who use 
tobacco to a greater or less extent, and a few who cer- 
tainly use it to excess. No one would think of claim- 
ing that they shoot well because of it, and it is very 
probable that they do so in spite of it ; in other words, 
that they would do better if they cut down on their 
drug habit. The same may be said of alcohol, except 
that there are some men who actually seem to benefit 
by the use during their shooting of a moderate 
amount of alcohol. From my own observation, I be- 
lieve that where one's chief difficulty consists in a ten- 
dency to flinch, alcohol is of some service; but it never 
improves the steadiness of one's holding otherwise, 
and the blunting of the finer senses which are so im- 
portant in the close study and observation necessary 
in long range shooting cannot fail to be a detriment. 
The use of these drugs — and let us always bear in 



n6 Modern Rifle Shooting 

mind that they are drugs — will have to be determined 
by each rifleman for himself. It is a safe rule to 
avoid excesses in either, and never to radically change 
one's habits just before an important match. 

On the day the shooting is to be done, the diet 
should be light, nutritious and easily digested. Few 
men can shoot well immediately after a full meal. 
Strong coffee and tea with many persons interfere 
with steady holding, and beer and other beverages 
highly charged with carbonic acid gas are likely to 
cause discomfort by inflating the stomach and causing 
undue pressure upon the heart. There is no need of 
starving one's self, but a small amount of nutritious 
food and not more than half a pint of fluid make the 
best kind of a "foundation" to shoot on. 

But the greatest necessity of all to the rifleman is 
good vision — unaided by glasses if possible, but — 
good vision. Eyes that are good enough (because 
their possessor knows no better) for every day work 
are ofttimes unable to meet the requirements of fine 
rifle shooting. This subject is so important to the 
rifleman, that it will be profitable to discuss the most 
common cause of poor vision — refractive errors — so 
that the rifleman may understand what they are and 
how they may be corrected. 

Anyone familiar with the operation of a camera will 
readily trace the course of light as it enters the normal 
eye, represented diagramatically in Fig. 25. The rays 




fig. 25. 



From The American Standpoint. uj 

of light are here supposed to come from a point (a) 
20 feet or more from the eye. Rays from such a dis- 
tance are so nearly parallel that they may be assumed 
to be so. The lens of the eye (b) causes these parallel 
rays to come to a focus at (c), where the branches of 
the optic nerve are distributed, forming the retina. This 
is brought about in the same way that the lens in a 
camera brings rays to a focus on the ground glass, 
and images are formed in the eye just as in a camera. 

If the luminous point be brought nearer to the eye, 
as represented in Fig. 26, rays from it will be more 
divergent ; therefore, the lens being the same, they 
will focus at a point (d) behind the eye, and a blur 
instead of a clearly defined image of the point (a) will 
result at (c). 

In a camera, this would be remedied by drawing 
the ground glass screen back to (d), but in the eye 
the retina (c) is stationary, and the focus has there- 
fore to be regained by strengthening the lens (b). 
This is effected by the contraction of the ciliary mus- 
cle, which is not shown in the diagram. When this 
muscle contracts, it increases the convexity of the lens, 
and consequently its power, so that rays from the near 
point are now focussed at (c). This process is called 
accommodation. 




FIG. 26. 



u8 



Modern Rifle Shooting 



In an eyeball that is too short, (Fig. 27), rays from 
a distant point also focus at a point (d) behind the re- 
tina (c). But by means of the accommodation they 
can be focussed at (e), although only by the expendi- 
ture of the necessary amount of muscular power. And 
if the object is brought near to the eye, then the eye 
will have to accommodate still more, until that much 
additional strength of the lens is attained. This is the 
condition of things in the far sighted eye. It is able 
to focus objects at various distances upon its retina, as 
we have seen, but in doing so has to work just that 
much harder than the normal eye. 

The near sighted eye is too long for its refraction. 
By referring to Fig. 28, it will be seen that rays from 
the distant point (a) are focussed at (d), and by the 
time they reach the retina (c) they are again out of 
focus. On the other hand, rays from the near point 
(e) are brought to a focus on the retina without any 
action on the part of the ciliary muscle. Thus it is 
evident that, by accommodating, any point nearer than 
(e) can be focussed, but those beyond cannot. 




fig. 27. 




fig. 28. 



From The American Standpoint. up 

Astigmatism is the defect where the eye differs in 
different meridians. Thus, in Fig. 29, suppose the eye 
to be normal in the meridian a — b, and far sighted in 
c — d. Then when accommodation corrects c — d, it 
causes a — b to become near sighted. Evidently, then, 
this defect precludes the possibility of clear vision at 
any distance without artificial aid. There are various 
forms of astigmatism, some cases even being near 
sighted in one meridian and far sighted in another. 
— "mixed astigmatism." 

There is only one way to correct these defects — 
proper glasses. 

The lens of a far sighted eye being too weak for its 
length, an additional convex lens would be used, of 
such strength that it and the lens o>f the eye would to- 
gether be just sufficient to cause parallel rays to focus 
upon the retina, without the exertion of any accommo- 
dation. 

For the correction of near sigbtedness, advantage 
is taken of the fact that a concave lens neutralizes the 
effect of a convex one. Thus, in Fig. 28, the lens (b) 
is too< strong for the distance it is from the retina, since 



fig. 29. 



120 



Modern Rifle Shooting 



it brings the rays to a focus too soon. Therefore this 
eye would require for its correction a concave lens of 
such strength that, when so weakened, the lens of the 
eye would just be able to bring parallel rays to a focus 
upon its retina, when not exerting any accommoda- 
tion. 

For the correction of astigmatism, a cylindrical lens 
is used. A convex cylindrical lens is shown in Fig. 
30, and would correct the defect illustrated in Fig. 29. 
The meridian d — e of the lens being convex, would be 
so adjusted as to coincide with the far sighted merid- 
ian of the eye, and the meridian f — g of the lens, being 
plane, to coincide with the normal meridian. Thus the 
far sighted meridian would be corrected, and the nor- 
mal meridian not interfered with. 

These errors of refraction manifest themselves by 
causing pain, fatigue, or headache on using the eyes, 
or by poor vision. Poor vision as measured by the de- 
mands of ordinary life, generally results only when the 
defect is considerable. But the slight errors, which 
ordinarily only cause occasional headache and perhaps 
some discomfort after prolonged use of the eyes, 
or may even pass unnoticed in every day work, are 




fjg. 30. 



From The American Standpoint 



quite capable of blurring the sights of the rifle — for 
sighting a rifle may be regarded as extraordinary work. 
What generally brings these cases to the physician 
is the accompanying headache due to excessive work 
on the part of the ciliary muscle ; and indeed it is prob- 
able that more than 50 per cent, of all headaches are 
due wholly or in part to slight refractive errors, espe- 
cially astigmatism and farsightedness. 

A word about obtaining the glasses when they are 
needed. There are numerous persons professing to 
prescribe glasses which really requires considerable 
skill. We find not only oculists (physicians who have 
especially prepared themselves for this branch of prac- 
tice), but also jewellers, druggists, opticians and sales- 
women in the large drygoods store. However, public 
opinion is just now undergoing a great change in this 
matter, for people are beginning to realize that the eye 
is not an organ to be entrusted to anyone but the skill- 
ed oculist. It is not so long ago that the work of the 
dentist was largely performed by the barber, and it is 
to be hoped that a similar reform will soon be accom- 
plished in this matter. Even the oculist cannot accu- 
rately determine what glass to prescribe for a young 
person without first suspending the action of the cili- 
ary muscle by means of some suitable drug, and as 
these are all somewhat poisonous only physicians are 
allowed to use them. 

In target rifles the glass is often mounted in the rear 
sight cup. There are various ways of doing this, but 
if so mounted it should be arranged so as to admit of 
easy removal for the purpose of cleaning. If the de- 
fect is at all pronounced, the shooter will feel the 
necessity of his glass for seeing the target between 
shots, as well as while aiming, so that spectacles may 
be preferred. 



122 Modem Rifle Shooting 

The variety of lenses technically known as peri- 
scopic and toric give the best results for shooting, and 
indeed for most other purposes as well ; but the toric 
lens is very expensive to make. They are both lenses 
of the meniscus type, and the advantage in them re- 
sults from the line of sight, when aiming, passing 
through the glass more perpendicularly to its surface 
than is the case with the ordinary glass. 

Another helpful point in some conditions of the at- 
mosphere is to have a glass of a light amber color to 
interpose between the rear sight and the eye. If a re- 
fractive error is present, the correcting lens can be 
made of that color. There are times when, from vari- 
ous causes, the light is very trying to the eyes, and 
when the use of such a colored glass is a great aid. 

The most desirable dress for the rifleman can be 
summed up in one word — comfort. No high collars, 
tight fitting belts, tight armholes, trousers, suspen- 
ders, etc., should be worn. Breathing and circula- 
tion should be unimpeded, and nothing should be al- 
lowed in any way to hamper free and easy movement 
of the limbs, head and body. The fatigue uniform of 
our army, with its blue flannel shirt, makes a good 
shooting costume, and for headwear nothing more de- 
sirable can be found than the broad brimmed, soft felt 
campaign hat. Old clothes are always more comfort- 
able than new, and one seems to gain, with time, a cer- 
tain affection for his old shooting clothes that give 
them an added value. Elbows and shoulders always 
have a strong tendency to wear through, for obvious 
reasons. When they do, patching them with soft 
leather padded inside with flannel or felt will give 
them a new lease of life. 



From The American Standpoint. 123 

The great thing lacking in the uniform as issued is 
the absence of a sufficient number of pockets. These 
the rifleman should add for himself, so locating them 
that they will not interfere with shooting. A watch 
pocket, one for handkerchief, and others for such odds 
and ends as knife, keys, money, etc., are almost an ab- 
solute necessity for the average American. If the 
terms of some of the competitions in which one ex- 
pects to compete call for the service uniform, these 
pockets should be so placed that they will not cause 
the uniform to be ruled out. Submitting the proposed 
changes to the officer who will subsequently have to 
pass on the eligibility of the uniform will be the surest 
way to settle this point. But up to this time in all of 
the important American matches the question of uni- 
form has been entirely subordinated to utility and 
comfort ; and the stiff, natty but uncomfortable new 
uniform has generally been conspicuous by its ab- 
sence — another evidence of the practical nature of the 
American rifleman. 



124 



Modern Rifle Shooting 




From The American Standpoint. 125 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION, AND 
SEA GIRT. 

Our National Rifle Association is just now in the 
position of Rip Van Winkle, awakening from its long 
sleep. After the Creedmoor and Dollymount matches 
in the 70's, rifle shooting as a sport practically died 
out in the United States, except as kept alive here and 
there by small civilian rifle clubs, who had to furnish 
all the funds necessary to equip and maintain their 
ranges, and fight for very existence in the face of pop- 
ular prejudice against the sport. Why this should 
have been so is hard to explain, though the decline is 
by many attributed to the unfortunate controversies 
that arose concerning the management of the N. R 
A. range at Creedmoor, then the only available place 
where long range shooting could be carried on. 

But when the present military authorities came into 
control in New Jersey, the fraternal spirit manifested 
toward the civilian rifleman was hailed as an innova- 
tion. While the military side of the shooting was of 
necessity maintained as the chief feature, an organiza- 
tion known as the New Jersey State Rifle Association 
was formed and inaugurated a series of annual 
matches, which are held every year at the magnificent 
range at Sea Girt. The three surviving matches of 
the old National Rifle Association were taken over and 
run at the same time as the New Jersey Association 
matches. Some old riflemen who had almost forgot- 
ten what powder smelled like began to revive, and 



126 Modern Rifle Shooting 

many young shots began to show an interest in the 
sport ; so that in the summer of 1900, solely through 
the efforts of New Jersey, interest in rifle shooting 
had revived to such an extent that there came to be a 
demand for a national organization to foster the sport. 

It was found that the most practicable way to do 
this was to reorganize the old National Rifle Associa- 
tion, and this was done on December 3rd, 1900. The 
officers of the reorganized association immediately be- 
gan vigorous work to further arouse the interest of 
rifle shooting throughout the country, and to that end 
revived the international matches between the United 
States and other countries, which had almost died out 
of the popular memory. Invitations to compete in an 
international match were extended to many countries, 
but the first one to accept and send a team to Sea Girt 
was Canada, in 1901. In the same year, a match was 
arranged between the Ulster Rifle Association of Ire- 
land and the New Jersey State Rifle Association, 
which almost assumed the importance of an interna- 
tional match. 

Both of these were long range matches, at 800, 900 
and 1000 yards, and we were defeated in both. Dur- 
ing our period of hibernation,, long range shooting had 
become almost a lost art in this country ; and further- 
more, the conditions of the match practically precluded 
the use of anything except the new high power am- 
munition, in the development of which we were at 
least 5 years behind our foreign cousins. Knowing 
full well that we were doomed to defeat, before a shot 
was fired, we nevertheless set to work valiantly and 
did the best we could in the short time at our disposal. 
For the Irish match, which was open to target rifles, 
new guns had to be produced. The Remington Arms 



From The American Standpoint. I2~ 

Company, with characteristic patriotism, produced in 
a remarkably short time what is undoubtedly as good 
a high power target rifle as can be made anywhere in 
the world ; and indeed, the Remington Company ap- 
peared to be the only American concern possessing the 
necessary skill and ability to produce such a rifle. 
Some thought at the time that we were "out-gunned" 
by the Irish, but the real truth of the matter is that 
we were out-ammunitioned more than anything else. 
With the same rifles, but using the ammunition in the 
state of development to which we have now brought 
it, I believe we could win the match. The same thing 
applies to the match with the Canadians. 

In September, 1902, another match was arranged 
with the Canadians, in the effort to win back the 
Palma Trophy, which they had carried off as a result 
of their victory over us in 1901. This match was shot 
at Ottawa on September 13th, and while we succeeded 
in beating the Canadians by a comfortable margin, 
England had a team entered also which won out, 
beating us by 12 points. But we were not beaten by 
ammunition this time. Many earnest workers had 
concentrated their attention upon the ammunition 
question during the previous year, with the result 
that our ammunition was at least equal to that of our 
competitors. There was one cause of the English 
team winning over us, and that was so plain to those 
who watched the match that there has scarcely been 
any discussion on the matter since : they won by their 
coaches being better able to estimate the conditions 
than ours were. I have no intention of belittling the 
ability of our coaches, for they were probably the most 
experienced riflemen and best coaches in the country. 
But they (and in fadt all of cur team) had been on 



I2l 



Modem Rifle Shooting 




From The A?nerican Standpoint. 129 

this exceptionally tricky range less than 48 hours be- 
fore the match commenced, and therefore were far 
less familiar with the local conditions than were the 
English coaches, who had spent 3 weeks studying the 
range. Even this would not have defeated us had the 
weather conditions on the day of the match been even 
reasonably good— they were good in the morning, and 
we profited by that fact to the extent of gaining a lead 
of 22 points over the English team at 800 yards. But 
in the afternoon, when the 900 yard stage was about 
1-3 completed, very bad weather conditions arose, with 
rapid changes of light caused by clouds scudding by; 
the wind came in fierce gusts, veered continually from 
one point to another, and small but strong eddy cur- 
rents formed on the range. Under these conditions, 
with nearly every flag pointing in a different direc- 
tion, the only reliable way to estimate the wind was 
by observing the mirage through a 'telescope trained 
on the target. This the English team had found in 
their three weeks' practice to be the only reliable way 
of gauging the wind on that range, while we were al- 
most totally unfamiliar with the method, and had not 
even brought a suitable telescope with us. The result 
was that the Englishmen overcame our lead and 
gained 12 points on us. At 1000 yards the conditions 
had settled a little, and we just held our own ; but 
were unable to overcome the 12 points lead. 

I have gone thus fully into the cause of our defeats 
because there seems to be some misapprehension as to 
the causes which led to them. There is no disposition 
on my part to detract from the honor due to our for- 
eign cousins in winning these matches. Especially in 
the last match are they to be congratulated, for the 
ability to estimate conditions correctly, especially when 



I JO Modern Rifle Shooting 

they are unfavorable, is one of the most important 
elements of skill in long range shooting-. I cannot 
help feeling that the results would have been differ- 
ent, however, if we had sent our coaches up there a 
week or two in advance of the team. That is the 
trouble with American teams, and always will be — 
we are so engrossed in business affairs that we cannot 
spare the time to give that long and undivided atten- 
tion to a matter of this kind that is required in order 
to assure success. 

Now, the National Rifle Association is to be con- 
gratulated for having by its efforts revived these 
matches. There is even an element of good fortune 
in our defeats, for nothing so stimulates the Yankee 
nature to stronger effort than defeat. And not a man 
who served on the American team of 1902 but is eager 
for the fray again, for we feel that we have taken our 
opponent's measure and know that our weak point is 
capable of being overcome. 

The novice in rifle shooting would hardly be a true 
American if he were not interested in these matches 
of national importance, and for that reason I have 
gone into them more fully than was intended. But 
what I especially want to emphasize is, that it is only 
through the National Rifle Association that such 
matches can be brought about, and it therefore be- 
hooves every rifleman, no matter how humble, to affili- 
ate with and lend his support to that organization. 
Full information can be obtained by writing to Lieut. 
A. S. Jones, Secretary, Passaic, N. J. The dues are only 
$1.00 per year, and the N. R. A. member has many 
privileges accorded him that make the $1.00. a very 
profitable investment. Besides, it will enable him to 
keep in touch with other riflemen, by which means he 



From The American Standpoint. iji 

will learn much that is of value ; for nearly every old 
and experienced shot that I know is always willing to 
help the beginner by advice and often by painstaking 
instruction. Another means of keeping abreast of de- 
velopments in the rifle shooting world is to read the 
papers devoted to the subject. The one that best ful- 
fills the wants of the American rifleman is "Shooting 
and Fishing," published weekly at 150 Nassau St.. 
New York. Besides much other reading matter of 
interest to the rifleman, it contains the scores of vari- 
ous clubs and shooting organizations all over the coun- 
try, and sometimes in foreign countries as well. In 
fact, for the rifleman who would keep up with the 
times, it is almost a necessity that he join the N. R. 
A. and read "Shooting and Fishing." 

I feel that this work would hardly be complete to 
close without some reference to Sea Girt, and the an- 
nual meetings of the N. R. A. held there, in conjunc- 
tion with the New Jersey State Rifle Association 
matches. 

This joint meeting generally takes place during the 
last few days in August and first few days in Septem- 
ber, occupying a week or 10 days. Many prizes are 
offered, both cash and merchandise, and aggregating 
several thousand dollars in value. There are both in- 
dividual and. team matches at all ranges, for military 
and match rifle, revolver and carbine, and the entrance 
fees in some of the, matches are so small that abundant 
opportunity is offered for even the novice to shoot. 
Much, however, can be learned by merely watching 
the keenly contested matches between the experts from 
all over the country. 

Sea Girjt rifle range occupies a salubrious location 
on the New Jersey coast, about 20 miles south of As- 



I3 2 Modern Rifle Shooting 

bury Park. It is part of the State camp grounds, and 
is supported by the military authorities of the State of 
New Jersey. It is reached by either the Jersey Cen- 
tral or the Pennsylvania Railroad, whose station is 
very close to the edge of the camp grounds, but about 
% of a mile from the rifle range itself. The train ser- 
vice is good, although likely to be somewhat congested 
at times owing to the large number of summer visitors 
to the popular seaside resorts reached by these lines. 
The best way to go from New York City is to take 
the Jersey Central boat from the foot of Rector street, 
to Atlantic Highlands, and the train the rest of the 
way. It takes no longer to go by this route, and the 
journey is far more pleasant. 

Arriving at Sea Girt, the visitor can have tent quar- 
ters supplied to him free on application to the Post 
Quartermaster. He can generally be found at the 
club house of the New Jersey State Rifle Association, 
which is located close to the 200 yard firing point. 
Meals are furnished at the mess-hall on the grounds 
at reasonable rates, and the food while plain is whole- 
some and well cooked. Putting up in one of the tents, 
with its wood flooring, comfortable cots, and liberal 
furnishings supplied by the State, and eating at the 
mess-hall, is the most satisfactory way of sojourning 
if one intends to do> much shooting. But if he does 
not enjoy camp life, he can obtain quarters in one of 
the hotels or boarding houses nearby. The nearest 
and best equipped hotel is the Beach House, about 
half a mile to the North of the range, and close to the 
ocean. There are other hotels further inland, also. 
Then there are several small houses in Sea Girt, on 
the opposite side of the railroad, where board at rea- 
sonable rates can be secured, but perhaps the most ac- 



From The American Standpoint. ijj 

cessible and convenient private houses where board 
can be had are those in that part of Manasquan lying 
just south of the range, across a creek or small inlet. 
Sea Girt is a place of distances that do not look near- 
ly so long as they are, but one who is used to city life 
becomies painfully aware that he has walked a long 
way after a day's tramping about from place to place. 
The roads are fine, and if one owns a bicycle or auto- 
mobile it will well repay him to bring it along. 

Ammunition of the standard military sizes, of dif- 
ferent makes, is on sale during the meeting ; but if the 
rifleman has profited by the foregoing chapters he will 
have no need of that, but will come provided with am- 
munition which he knows to be all right. At the range 
office he can hire a roomy locker during the time he 
desires to remain, in which can be kept rifle, outfit and 
ammunition. The locker room is conveniently located 
close to the firing line, and obviates the necessity of 
many a long tramp back and forth. 

The range itself is regarded as one of the best laid 
out in the world. The firing points for all ranges up 
to and including 600 yards are along one line, the 200, 
300, 500 and 600 yards butts being disposed at their 
respective distances. The long ranges are on the ex- 
treme left, and the 800 yard firing point is 200 yards 
back of the continuation of the 600 yard firing line ; 
the 900 and 1000 yard firing points are respectively 
100 and 200 yards back of the 800 yard mark. 

The range is supplied with the usual flags and 
clock dials for indicating the strength and direction 
of the wind, and the young but extremely active Signal 
Corps of the State maintains a small weather bureau 
in the telephone house on the firing line, which is 
equipped with recording type of anemometer, barom- 



IJ4 Modern Rifle Shooting 

eter, thermometer, etc., so that after a day's shooting 
the rifleman who has kept accurate record of his shoot- 
ing can profit by comparing his records with the rec- 
ords of these instruments for the corresponding time. 
The butts and the firing line are connected by tele- 
phone, and in addition temporary telephone lines are 
strung by the Signal Corps to various parts of the 
range, greatly facilitating its operation. 

There is some difficulty in obtaining a sufficient 
number of good and reliable markers and scorers ; for 
although the pay is about the same as the average 
man's wages in that locality, and surely ought to at- 
tract any number of boys, it is near the end of vaca- 
tion time and the local juvenile population apparently 
find greater attractions elsewhere. There is some 
talk, however, of putting the entire operation of the 
range during the meeting into the hands of the Signal 
Corps, which would certainly appear to' promise great 
improvement if the work of this corps so far can be 
taken as any criterion. 

The range is run in a semi-military manner, in 
which that overbearing show of authority so often un- 
fortunately associated with rank is conspicuous by its 
absence. Officers, men and civilians mingle in one 
congenial brotherhood. Freedom and cheerful inter- 
course prevail, many lasting friendships are formed, 
?nd a wealth of healthy vigor and pleasant memories 
stored up by those two weeks' encampment in the 
bracinar salt air of Sea Girt. 



From The American Standpoint. zjf 



APPENDIX. 



Ij6 Modern Rifle Shooting 



METHOD OF CLEANING SHELLS. 

The classical way of cleaning brass shells is to boil 
them in a solution of washing soda. This does the 
work fairly well, but after a time the shells acquire a 
dirty black color, and there is occasionally trouble with 
the oxide forming black scales on the inside. 

The method I use consists of dipping them in two 
solutions, which are kept in battery jars and used over 
and over again until exhausted. No. i solution con- 
sists of 2 quarts of water, 4 fluid ounces of sulphuric 
acid, and 4 ounces of potassium bichromate. The so- 
lution sold in electrical stores as "red battery fluid" 
will give practically the same composition as this, if 
diluted with an equal quantity of water. No. 2 solu- 
tion consists of ]A pound of potassium cyanide in two 
quarts of water. 

The shells are first rinsed in water, then dipped in 
No. 1 for not more than 5 seconds, then rinsed thor- 
oughly in water, then in No. 2 for a few seconds, and 
finally in water again. This process leaves them 
cleaner even than new shells, and, what is most im- 
portant, clean inside as well as outside. 

The washing process is greatly facilitated by the 
use of a home made wire basket which I use (Fig. 
31), with a detachable handle. Arranging the shells 
in this, with mouths down after they have been decap- 
ped, it merely becomes a matter of dipping them first 
in one solution and then in the other. 

Both solutions are poisonous, and if mixed will not 
only be spoiled but will evolve poisonous fumes. But 
they certainly clean the shells very thoroughly. 



From The American Standpoint. 



137 




FIG. 31. 
WIRE BASKET FOR WASHING SHELLS. 



BULLET LUBRICANT. 



I spent nearly a year trying lubricating materials 
of different kinds, but the one finally settled upon as 
giving the best results is made as follows : 

Japan wax, 1 pound ; mutton tallow, ^ pound ; 
vaseline, y% pound. 

This mixture can be used either summer or winter 
with good results. Its hardness can be increased or 
diminished by varying the proportion of vaseline. 



jj.8 Modem Rifle Shooting 



SIGHT BLACK (LIQUID). 

Ivory Black, "B," in Japan, (A black paste, obtain- 
able from dealers in painter's supplies in i pound 
cans) 5 ounces. 

Gasolene, 76 test, 12 fluid ounces. Add the gaso- 
lene little by little to the paste, mixing thoroughly 
after each addition. If it is found to dry with any 
gloss whatever, there is too much "bander" in the 
paste : to correct this, add to- the paste a little pow- 
dered lamp black and work up thoroughly with the 
first portion of the gasolene which is added. 

Gasolene is used to thin down the paste with be- 
cause of its quick drying properties. This mixture will 
dry on the sights in a few seconds. 

ANTI-RUST GREASE. 

Where rifles are to be put away for some time, or 
exposed to salt air, a heavier grease is generally pre- 
ferable. Co'Smoline, gas engine cylinder oil, and mer- 
curial ointment are all excellent preservatives, but 
should be removed from the barrel perfectly before 
beginning to shoot. Gas engine cylinder oil, in par- 
ticular, has seemed to me to affect the shooting badly 
in the case of lead bullet rifles if the least trace of it is 
left in the barrel. 

A mixture that is very popular among the mem- 
bers of the Manhattan Rifle and Revolver Associa- 
tion, New York, is made by melting 1 ounce of bees- 
wax, and adding 2 ounces each of hot astral oil and 
sperm oil. It has about the consistency of butter. 



From The American Standpoint. ijp 



NITRO-CLEANER, FOR CLEANING OUT THE 

RIFLE AFTER FIRING SMOKELESS 

POWDER. 

Astral oil, (tested and found free from acid) 2 fluid 
oz. Sperm oil, 1 fluid oz. Turpentine, 1 fluid oz. Ace- 
tone, 1 fluid oz. Mix. 

This formula was originally worked up especially 
for "W. A." powder, but unexpectedly has also turn- 
ed out to be a good rust preventive as well. The best 
way to use it, which should be done immediately after 
shooting, is to dip the brass cleaning brush in the 
solution and scrub it back and forth in the gun a few 
times ; always cleaning from the breech if possible, 
and allowing the brush to turn and follow the rifling 
— not pushing it straight through, as I have seen some 
men do. The gun can then be allowed to stand for a 
time, when a dry rag should be used on the knob end 
of the cleaning rod. It is surprising how much black 
dirt will come out on the rag when the gun appeared 
to be almost clean. The dry rag should be followed 
with a second one wet in the solution. It is best to 
repeat the process next day, for the gases seem to be 
driven into the pores of the metal and to sweat out 
during the 24 hours following the firing; hence the 
necessity of the second cleaning. 

The "W. A." powder residue itself would probably 
never have to be cleaned out from the gun were it not 
for the material used in the primer. "W. A." residue 
is practically harmless, but the products of the primer 
mixture are extremely corrosive, especially on certain 
kinds of steel. Therefore, if you want your barrel to 
last even through one season you must take care of it. 



1 40 



Modern Rifle Shooting 



POWDER MEASURE. 




In the chapter on ammunition I stated that when 
using smokeless powder for long range shooting the 
charges should be weighed. But as this operation 
takes considerable time, many riflemen when loading 
for short and mid-range work may prefer to dispense 
with the- weighing operation, and measure the charges. 

The "W. A. 30 calibre" smokeless does not feed 
well through the majority of hand loading machines, 
and charges of this powder can be dipped by means 
of a scoop more accurately than they can be thrown 
by means of a machine, unless the latter is especially 
constructed for "W. A." powder. A very neat and 
effective little powder scoop has been designed by 
Mr. Ed. Taylor, of the Laflin & Rand Powder Co., 
for measuring "W. A." and other powders made by 
that concern. As smokeless powders differ greatly 
in their volumetric density, and as it is the weight 
and not the bulk that determines the force of a given 
charge of powder, no attempt was made to graduate 
this measure in grains ; instead, it has been graduated 
in sixteenths of a dram. A table is furnished with 
each measure, showing what amount of each kind of 
powder should be used to give the standard velocity; 
this amount being expressed both in grains (weight) 



F?-om The American Standpoint. 141 

and in volume (drams). For instance, the standard 
load of the 30 cal. U. S. Government cartridge is 
given at 34 grains, or 1^ drams volume. 

I have seen Mr. Taylor dip a long series of charges 
with this measure upon the pan of a fine balance, 
with a variation of less than half a grain. One can 
become expert at dipping powder, the same as in other 
things, after sufficient practice. If one-half grain was 
the limit of variation for all of us in dipping powder 
charges, few would weigh their charges even for long 
range shooting. The difficulty is that, when every- 
thing appears to be working smoothly, there will be 
one charge dipped apparently just the same as many 
previous ones and yet it will weigh perhaps 2 or 3 
grains less than the regular load. It is for this reason 
that I have advocated the use of the scales. You need 
not balance each charge to any exceptionally fine point 
if you don't want to use the ammunition at long range ; 
for a variation of Yz grain will cause little trouble up 
to 800 yards, and even beyond. But if you dip onto 
the scale pan instead of directly into the cartridge 
shell, the balance will immediately reveal any charge 
with an excessive variation — and it is much pleasanter 
to make this discovery at home than to get the unex- 
pected low shot or miss when at the range. 

But even when the charges are weighed, it is a 
great convenience to have a good scoop like this one, 
that can be set so as to deliver very nearly the correct 
amount of powder on the scale pan. And as the little 
measure is quite inexpensive, I would recommend the 
shooter to buy one from the Laflin & Rand Powder 
Co., for it is sure to come in handy at some time. 



142 



Modem Rifle Shooting 



THE IDEAL LOADING PRESS. 

For the convenience of riflemen who wish to do 
their own loading and re-loading I herewith insert cut 
of a new loading press just perfected by the Ideal 
Mfg. Co., of New Haven, Conn. 

I have not tried this press personally, but from tho 
description I judge it will be found of great value. 




THE IDEAL LOADING PRESS. 



From The American Standpoint. 143 

The Ideal Loading Press is about eleven inches in 
height; when packed in case ready for shipment with 
a full set of tools, will weigh between twenty and 
twenty-five pounds. It is not necessary to describe it, as 
the illustration shows it to be a perfect little giant, of 
the well known lever link and sliding gate construc- 
tion, giving ample straight line up and down move- 
ments of sufficient capacity for all requirements. A 
rod twelve inches in length fits into the hole shown in 
top lever near letter "B." The various tools are shown 
in sections along the sides of the press and designated 
by numbers. 

' No. 4.— SHELL RESIZER for reforming the ex- 
panded shell back to its original shape and size. 

No. 5.— DOUBLE ADJUSTABLE CHAMBER 
which will enable the user to seat the bullets correctly 
and crimp or not crimp the shells as desired. This 
in connection with the back stop can be adjusted to 
overcome all the varying lengths of the shells, and the 
varying locations of the crimping grooves on the metal 
covered bullets. 

No. 6.— DE-CAPPER AND MOUTH OPENER 
for expelling the old primer, straightening out the old 
crimp at the mouth of the shell, leaving the muzzle in 
correct shape to receive the new bullets. 

No. 7.— RE-CAPPER PUNCH AND SPRING is 
inserted in shell holder No. 8, by entering it under- 
neath the bottom of press, when placed in No. 8 swing 
the. lever "T" into place and fasten with thumb screw 
"R." This will be found a very efficient straight line 
re-capper. 

No. 8.— SHELL HOLDER, which is located on 
the bed, centrally under the sliding gate and fastened 
by the clamps "P.P" and screws "QQ." Into this a 1 ! 
shells are inserted for all operations and when once 
set and the various stops adjusted according to in- 



144 



Modern Rifle Shootijig 



structions which accompany each press, no re-arrang- 
ing will be required to perform the various operations. 
Each operation has its own set of stops, which do 
not conflict or interfere with those belonging to another 
operation, and which may be swung out of the way 
and they will always be found ready set for use when 
called into action. The value of this can only be ap- 
preciated by those who actually use the press. Those 
who desire to reload shells in quantities will make no 
mistake in looking well into the merits of the Ideal 
Loading: Press. 



Since writing the main portion of this work I find 
that Thos. J. Conroy, of 28 John Street, New York 
City, is now handling a regulation British Shooting 
Bag. The accompanying cut rather fully describes it. 




BRITISH SHOOTING BAG. 



From The American Standpoint . 



145 



SUB-TARGET GUN MACHINE. 

A very ingenious device for aiming practice which 
has recently been brought out is called the "Sub-Target 
Gun Machine," and is made by the Sub-Target Gun 
Co., 11 High street, Boston, Mass. It consists of a 
system of levers and parallel rods, connected with any 
kind of a gun, the gun being freely movable in all 
directions. Aim is taken at a target placed 25 or 30 
feet away, and reduced to the size that would be pro- 
portionate for that distance. 




SUB-TARGET GUN. 



14-6 Modern Rifle Shooting 

During the aiming, a pointer on the machine is seen 
to make movements (highly magnified) corresponding 
with the efforts of the marksman in directing the rifle, 
and when the trigger is pulled, a needle in the end of 
this pointer punctures a replaceable miniature card- 
board target, which is carried in a receptacle on the 
machine, showing just where the gun was aiming at 
the instant of pressing the trigger. 

The apparatus operates on definite mathematical 
principles, and the little cardboard target, when re- 
moved after a string of five or ten shots, gives a very 
close record of what the shooting would have been. 

This machine should greatly facilitate instructors in 
"teaching the young idea how to> shoot." The only 
drawback is the price — $250.00. It is quite evident, 
however, that a machine of this kind must require ex- 
treme care in its manufacture, though perhaps when it is 
turned out in larger quantities its makers may be able 
to supply it at a lower figure. 



From The American Standpoint. 141 

APPLIANCES, TOOLS, ETC., THAT EVERY 
RIFLE RANGE SHOULD HAVE. 

A system of electric communication between the 
targets and the firing point is almost a necessity on a 
well-equipped range. The telephone affords the most 
perfect communication of all, but by arranging a judi- 
cious code of signals even a set of ordinary call bells 
can be made to answer, and of course will be cheaper. 
The magneto call bell is the most reliable, operating 
as it does without battery — its electricity being gener- 
ated by mechanical means. But it is not so easy to 
transmit short and distinct signals when a crank has 
to be turned, and if the ordinary electric bell be 
taken apart and its magnets re-wound with fine wire 
(No. 30, 31, or 32) it will generally prove even more 
satisfactory. Such a bell, together with a double cir- 
cuit push key and 6 cells of the small dry battery used 
for operating miniature lamps, all properly connected, 
can be mounted in a small wooden box, provided with 
a handle for ease in carrying ; making a very conveni- 
ent and portable bell set, with which signals in either 
direction can be transmitted with rapidity and preci- 
sion up to 1000 yards. 

Wires for rifle ranges should, when possible, be 
placed under ground. This is expensive, owing to 
the high grade of insulated and protected wire it is 
necessary to use for underground work. But it is as- 
tonishing how easily and frequently overhead wires 
are hit by rifle bullets when they are not being aimed 
at. The failure of accustomed electric communica- 
tion during a shoot is always annoying and may even 
become dangerous, therefore precautions are well 
taken. 



148 Modern Rifle Shooting 



One wire for each set of bells or telephones is suffi- 
cient if a lead covered cable is used, or if a good 
"ground connection" can be made. Otherwise it is 
better to use a metallic circuit or separate return wire. 

I am aware that one will have to understand some- 
thing of electricity and its practical application to 
profit by the above, but nearly always such a one will 
be found in a group of riflemen, and I therefore offer 
these observations without misgivings. I have fitted 
up several systems as described, and must say that for 
quick and convenient work the battery bell system, 
with a judiciously arranged code of signals and a 
telephone set to be switched in occasionally if found 
necessary, affords the greatest satisfaction. 

For accurate observations in long range shooting 
the range should be provided not only with flags and 
wind clocks, but with an anemometer, barometer, ther- 
mometer and hygrometer — preferably recording in- 
struments, so that their readings during any time of 
the day can be compared with the shooting for the 
corresponding time. It is only by these means that 
satisfactory study of the problems arising in long 
range shooting can be carried on. 

Every rifle range should be provided with a fairly 
well equipped shop. The larger the assortment of 
tools the better, but there should be at least a good 
vise, with leather jaws, files, hack saw, drills and drill 
stock, screw drivers of various sizes, pliers, wrenches, 
etc. During an important meeting the tool room 
should be in charge of a man responsible for them, 
and who knows how to use them. 




PtCAL TUNA/£l SSl 



DIAGRAM OF 
A MODEL RIFLE RANGE 



From The American Standpoint. 149 



A MILITARY RIFLE RANGE. 

Reprinted through the courtesy of the U. S. Cart- 
ridge Co., Lowell, Mass., from their work "Military 
Rifle Shooting." 

A perfect military rifle range is difficult to obtain. 
This was not an easy task when the U. S. Springfield 
rifle was the arm used by the regular troops and volun- 
teers, but now that the U. S. Magazine rifle has super- 
seded the former in the regular army and is being 
adopted by the volunteer militia the difficulty is en- 
hanced, on account of the high power of the latter, its 
range and penetration being much greater than the U. 
S- Springfield rifle. 

Military rifle ranges, especially those for volunteers, 
are generally adjacent to some city or town. They are 
sometimes regarded as unsafe, this fear often being 
well founded. Range practice with military rifles will 
be increased in this country from now on ; modern rifles 
and ammunition require increased safeguards, conse- 
quently the question of providing a properly equipped 
military rifle range is each year becoming more impor- 
tant. 

In the opinion of most rifle experts a perfect military 
rifle range would consist of a level plot of land 1200 
yards long by 600 yards wide, with high wooded hills on 
three sides and the ocean behind the fourth side, the 
latter side being at the north, the firing points for rifle 
and revolver all being on one line across the range. 
This is a very important point, which has generally 
been disregarded in the past but should be borne in 
mind when laying out the range. No rifle range is safe 
with one firing point behind another. 



OOOOOOOO 

1 

OOOOOOOQ 

o&eoooco 




DIAGRAM OF 
A MODEL RIFLE RANGE 



ISO Modern Rifle Shooting 

An illustration of a perfect military rifle range is 
herewith presented, prepared by the acknowledged ex- 
pert engineer and rifleman, Captain W. F. Whittemore, 
of the New Jersey National Guard. 

It would be quite difficult to find a tract of land as de- 
scribed situated at an accessible point, therefore some of 
the advantages must necessarily be dispensed with, but 
still an excellent rifle range may be secured. The tract 
of land 1 200 by 600 yards might be changed to 1200 
yards long from east to west by 600 yards at the firing 
point north to south and 50 yards north, making a plot 
of land nearly a right angled triangle in shape. The 
surrounding hills and woods should be secured if pos- 
sible as they would serve as breaks for winds from the 
different directions ; they would also prove something 
of an aid in stopping shots accidentally fired ; but the 
hills and woods could be dispensed with and still an 
excellent range secured. The range might not be per- 
fectly level, but it would certainly be a decided advant- 
age to have it so. A tract of land containing gullies is 
very objectionable as with such conditions currents of 
air more readily form which have a great effect on the 
bullet's flight ; when the land is level there is less trou- 
ble from unnoticed currents of air. 

The ocean for a backing for a rifle range is admitted 
by experts to be unexcelled and the greatest safe- 
guard. A mountain or high hill for a background is 
good, but the ocean is better. A hill or mountain is 
likely to be visited by some unsuspicious person while 
rifle practice is in progress, who will be accidentally 
shot ; bullets, too, with such background are likely at 
any time to strike rocks in the earth and ricochet wild- 
ly. With the ocean for a background a lookout can 
readily detect any approach to the danger line and 
signal a warning to cease firing. Shots striking the 
water are not likely to do any injury. 



From The American Standpoint. 151 

The advantage of having but one firing line is prob- 
ably apparent to experienced riflemen. Most rifle 
ranges are laid out the reverse of what they should be. 
Usually there is a long line of 200 yard firing points,, 
in the rear of which come the 300 yard firing points, 
behind those the 500, the 600, 800, 900 and 1,000 yard 
firing points. By such an arrangement the marksmen 
at 200 yards are in danger from all wild shots or ac- 
cidental discharges from all the firing points back of 
them and so the danger continues to each squad that 
have men behind them shooting at longer ranges. This 
danger is now generally recognized, and if a range is 
laid out with one firing point behind another, barriers, 
or safeguards, consisting of two sets of boards some 
20 inches or more apart, are erected and the interstices 
filled with rocks. These safeguards are usually erected 
about 20 feet from the firing point, the shot being fired 
through a port hole. By this arrangement a wild shot 
that would not hit the target is caught in the safeguard. 
These barriers, however, do not entirely insure safety 
from accidental shots. 

The range of the New Jersey State Rifle Associa- 
tion, at Sea Girt, N. J., probably is the nearest perfect 
military rifle range in the United States. It has the 
firing points of revolver ranges, 200, 300, 500 and 600 
yard rifle ranges all on one line ; if it had 800, 900 and 
1,000 yard firing points on this one line it would be as 
near perfection as one is likely to find, as the range is 
level, free from rocks, and has the ocean for a backing 
to the targets. 

The range of the Massachusetts Rifle Association, 
at Walnut Hill, Woburn, Mass., is an excellent exam- 
ple of a safe inland rifle range. This range when first 
built was necessarily laid out with one firing point be- 
hind another, but every known precaution of utility has 
been employed to make the range safe. 



152 Modern Rifle Shooting 

Great care should be exercised in measuring the dif- 
ferent distances over which shooting is done. It is as- 
tonishing how many rifle ranges of the past have been 
found incorrectly measured. A point of vantage for a 
firing point, or advantageous place to plant the target 
has influenced many riflemen to> disregard exactness 
in the distance fixed to shoot over. Every first class 
military range should be laid out by a competent engi- 
neer. 

A modern rifle range should be built so as to expe- 
ditiously accommodate, as far as possible, those who 
wish to shoot, and at the ranges they wish to shoot. It 
should be so arranged that many third class targets 
(for 200 yard shooting) could quickly be made ready 
for use; or if many second class targets were desired 
for 500 and 600 yard shooting, the third class targets 
could be lowered out of sight and shot over to the sec- 
ond class targets. Again, if a number of first class 
targets were wanted, the targets in front of them could 
be lowered and shot over to the first class targets. Such 
an arrangement of targets could be secured by build- 
ing the longer range butts higher than those of the 
short range. A sheltered subway running from the 
firing points to the different pits would prove very 
convenient and be an additional safeguard. By such 
an arrangement a range hand could quickly reach the 
pits or return therefrom, without the firing ceasing and 
without exposing himself to danger. 

Reference has been made to placing the targets to 
the north ; this is to avoid as much as possible the sun 
shining in the shooter's face, which is more likely to 
occur when the targets are placed to the east or west. 
With two persons shooting at a target, one in the 
morning with the sun behind him, the other in the af- 
ternoon with the sun in his face, the former would 
have a decided advantage. 



From The American Standpoint. ijj 

A rifle pit may be defined as a trench for protecting 
a marker. 

A butt is a raised mound in front of targets, a safe- 
guard for the marker in the pit. 

The rifle pit and butt are so closely connected they 
are treated together. In building a target pit it is usual 
to excavate earth to the depth of a few feet, utilizing 
the earth for the formation of the butt. Sometimes the 
natural lay of the land is a great aid in accomplishing 
this object, but usually, especially if the range is level, 
the excavation is necessary and the butt is constructed 
from the earth excavated, and often added to by addi- 
tional earth. First, absolute certainty of complete pro- 
tection against bullets reaching the marker must be 
secured. This means a butt of not less than 12 feet 
thick. 

There are various ways of constructing butts. The 
easiest way is simply piling up earth, which naturally 
would take a sloping shape of about 35 degrees. This 
shape is not objectionable on the side facing the shoot- 
er, but is not desirable on the side nearest the marker, 
for the necessary width of the base of such a con- 
structed butt places the pit too far back of the butt. 
The writer is an advocate of a deep pit and no higher 
butt than is necessary for safety. Assuming that the 
land selected for a range is level or nearly so, thick posts 
should be driven in front of the proposed pit. An ex- 
cavation at least 6 feet deep would then be made and 
the earth piled in front of the rear posts. The butt, or 
mound, should be not less than 12 feet thick at the base 
and 9 feet thick at the top. This butt should be of solid 
earth and packed very solid. 

The bottom of the pit should be so arranged that 
diainage can be secured. To accomplish this lay at the 
bottom of the pit small stones, over which place logs 



i$4 Modern Rifle Shooting 

and over those planks. It is usually desirable to place 
the row of posts and boards at the back of the pits, to 
keep the earth from falling into the pit. The pits are gen- 
erally so arranged that they may be covered at the top 
when not in use and the ends are closed by doors. The 
pits should be safe, clean and dry. This can be secured 
by following the foregoing directions, but if means 
permit, in place of the posts and boards masonry could 
be substituted, and the bottom of the pits bricked or 
asphalted, and gutters provided for drainage. This 
latter arrangement, however, would be much more ex- 
pensive. 



Scales illustrated on page 113 can be procured from the 
THE FAIRBANKS COMPANY. 



From The American Standpoint. jjj 

THE MILITARY 
GALLERY RANGE. 

HOW TO EQUIP AND USE IT. 



BY MAJOR JAMES E. BELL, 
Inspector General of Rifle Practice N. G. D. of C. 



This treatise will be found most valuable by com- 
pany officers who desire to bring their men up to a 
high standard of efficiency in marksmanship. 

It contains complete instructions for constructing, 
at small cost, a gallery range up to ioo feet; how to 
instruct men in aiming; remarks on reloading; and 
other matters of interest in training the soldier to a 
knowledge of the rifle. 

This work will be mailed upon receipt of ten cents 
in stamps to cover postage, mailing, etc. 



LAFLIN & RAND POWDER COMPANY 

NEW YORK, DENVER, 

CHICAGO, SAN FRANCISCO. 

1903. 



CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER I. 
Introduction, j 

CHAPTER II. 

Rifles, Bullets, Etc., 13 

CHAPTER III. 

Selecting a Rifle, ' -. . .' . 10 

CHAPTER IV. 
Equipment of the Rifleman, 35 

CHAPTER V. 
Sights, Sighting and Aiming, 43 

CHAPTER VI. 
Adjusting the Sights, . . . 55 

CHAPTER VII. 
Aiming, 65 

CHAPTER VIII. 
Helps to Good Aiming, ........ 70 

CHAPTER IX. 
Positions in Rifle Firing, 76 

CHAPTER X. 
Targets in General Use, 93 



CHAPTER XL 

Ammunition, 99 

CHAPTER XII. 

The Rifleman Himself, 114 

CHAPTER XIII. 

The National Rifle Association, and Sea Girt, . 125 

APPENDIX. 135 

Method of Cleaning Shells, . 136 

Bullet Lubricant, 137 

Sight Black, (liquid) . 138 

Anti-Rust Grease, 138 

Nitro-Cleaner, 139 

Powder Measure, 140 

Ideal Loading Press, . 142 

Sub-Target Gun Machine, 145 

Appliances, Tools, Etc., 147 

A Military Rifle Range, 149 

The Military Gallery Range, 155 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Page, 

6 

20 

23 
24 

3i 
32 
36 
4i 
42 

43 
44 
45 
46 

47 
48 

5o 

52— 

54 

66 

66 

77 
78 

79 
80 
82 



Rifle Range, Sea Girt, N. J. 

Schuetzen Rifle, .... 

Krag Action Closed, 

Krag Action Open, 

Cause of Drag and Remedy for same, 

Simple Mechanical Device for eliminating the drag 

Shooting Bag Shut and Open, 

Sight Protector Open and Closed, 

Wimbledon Cup Match, Sea Girt, 1902. 

Krag Sight 1898 Model, 

Krag Sight 1901 Model, 

Rear Target Sight applied to Krag, 

Front Target Sight applied to Krag, 

Varieties of Target Sights, . 

British and American detachable VERNIERS, 

Telescope Sight, .... 

53 Front and Rear Lens Sight, 

President's Match 1000 yds. stage, Sea Girt, 1902, 

Appearance of Sights when perfect aim is secured, 

Wrong Method of Sighting, 

Off-hand Position, 



Fig. 



85 



90 
92 
94 
95 
96 
98 

"3 
116^ 

117 f 

118 J 
119J 
120 
124 
128 

137 
140 
142 

144 



Sitting Position, 

Kneeling Position, 

Prone Position, 

Back Position using Target Sight. 

Texas Grip, ... 

Standard American and German Ring Targets 

National Rifle Association Military Targets, 

Silhouette Targets, . . . 

it it 

Cartridges of Special Interest, 
Fairbanks & Co. Miners' Assay Scales. 

Cuts Descriptive of Various Kinds of Eyes, 
Figs. 25-26-27-28-29 

Convex Cylindrical Lens, 

Interstate Match Score Board. 

1902 American Team, N. R. A. 

Wire Basket for Washing Shells, 

Micrometer Powder Measure. 

Ideal Loading Press. 

British Shooting Bag. 

Insert. Modern Rifle Range Diagram. 



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3 


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4 


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5 


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6,7 


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8 


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9 A 


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9B 


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IIB 


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13 


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14 


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15 


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16 


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17 


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17 


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17 


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17 


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17 


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18 


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18 


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19 


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20A 


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21 


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23 


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30 

31 



INDEX. 

AIMING, 65 

Proper and Improper Methods of 66, 67, 68 

AIR, 

Resistance of 16 

ANTI-RUST GREASE, 138 

NITRO CLEANER, 130 

POWDER MEASURE, 140, 141 

BORE, 

Evenness of 25 

BULLETS, 20, 25 

Deflection of 59 

Flight of 16 

Jacket of 17 

Upsettage 27 

Weights of 109, no 

BULLET LUBRICANT, _ 137 

CALIPER, MICROMETER, 28 

CARTRIDGES, 

Special Interest 98 

32-40, 38-55, 32-Ideal 99 

45-70 100 

30-40 102 

CLEANING ROD, 38 

DRAG, 29 

Elements of 30 

Cause of 31 

Remedy 31, 32 

DRIFT, 18, 58 

DUTCH MANNLICHER, 34 

ELEVATION, 55 

EYES, 

Normal Eye 116 

Nearsighted Eye 118 

Astigmatic Eye 119 

Astigmatism, Correction of 1 20 

GOULD A. C, 97 

IDEAL LOADING PRESS, . ." 142, 143 

KRAG, 22 

Powder for 103 

Bullets for 103, 104, 105, 106 

LANDS, 26 

LATERAL ALLOWANCES, 57 

MIRAGE, 39, 56, 64 

NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION, 130 

PALMA TROPHY, 127 

PRIMERS, 107 

PROJECTILES 15 



Page. 

REDUCED LOADS, 110,111,112,113 

REMINGTON-LEE, 34 

RIFLE BARREL, 

Examination of 25 

Enlargement of, from wear, 28 

RIFLE, 

Canting the 68, 69 

45-70 

Powder for 102 

SCHUETZEN, 13, 14, 19, 20 

Powders for, 100 

SCORE BOOKS, 37 

SEA GIRT RIFLE RANGE, 131, 132, 133, 134 

SHELLS, Best kind to use, 107 

Method of cleaning 136 

SIGHTS, 

Krag 1898 43 

" 1901 44 

Telescope , 50 

Lens 51 

Enlarging the 70 

Blackening the 71 

Repairing the 72 

Sight Black 138 

SLING, 

Adjusting the - 87 

STOCK, 29 

TARGETS, 

Standard American 92, 93 

German Ring 92, 93 

N. R. A. Military 94 

Silhouette 95, 96 

TOOLS, 40 

TRAJECTORY, 49 

TRIGGER PULL, 29, 74 

Weight of 29 

Roughness of 33 

VERNIERS, 48, 72, 73 

WIND, 58, 59, 62 

Estimation of 59 

Wind Allowances, Table of 60, 61 

ZERO OF RIFLE, 58 



MAY 27 1903 



